The Tale of Arcmelos -Titans Curse
by Arcmelos
Summary: NEW VERISON! It follows the lost first born son of Poseidon, following his story through the world of Percy Jackson, his actual brother, his life growing up and the troubled life he's endured. I'm not very good at summaries but give this story a chance it might surprise you. Updated at 9 pm GMT. Each story will be redone in his saga written in 3rd Person loosely around everyone.
1. Chapter 1

**All rights go to the original author of the series for Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus, I am only writing these for fun! Enjoy and rate. I've decided to rewrite these short stories that I originally wrote, they were done the first time I'd read the books and looking back on them they didn't age well and the writing was terrible. This story still includes my original character but has had an entire rewrite, but in places using bits from the original but changing the way it sounded to be less amateurish. I'm still nowhere near as good as a writer as the actual author of the PJ series let alone some of the people on this platform in terms of writing, but its a definite improvement than it used to be. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and read the other stories if you stick with this that will be updated after I've rewritten them. You are welcome to read the old versions as they are still available to read but you have been warned. They are hot garbage. If you feel like the third person is a little poorly done let me know and I will go back over it, changing things.**

Chapter 1 -Where it all started

It all started when he was born. he was born to a mortal woman, just like most other Half-blood, but his birth was a lot different than others. he wailed for his mother's attention, the doctor's attention, someone's attention, but no one could hear the cries.

Poseidon could sense that something was amiss, annoyed that his firstborn son in many years was being ignored by doctors and his mother. That was until he noticed the odd aura around him when he entered the room, hidden from the mortal's gaze, including the boy's mother. He smiled down at his firstborn, lucky to be graced by the scene of watching his second child be born. He smiled a warm smile, the sight warming the young babe in his arms spirits, stopping the wailing altogether.

The boy looked up at his father as he smiled softly down at his two sons, one that couldn't be seen and the other that was being placed in his tired mother's arms.

"Perseus. Perseus Jackson." The young woman said with adoration smiling tiredly down at her newborn son the knowledge of another one she wouldn't learn for a very long time. Poseidon looked down at his son, whisking him off to an unknown land.

Poseidon stared up at the towering derelict chimneys that hadn't been used since the eighties, eyes casting over the children training all around the car park. The campers stopped and stared at the god's presence, shocked to see a child in his arms. Poseidon was hidden with his godly powers, making him appear a normal man, the attention something he didn't want right now. He was focused heavily on his firstborn son, one that was creating problems in more ways than one. He wandered into the camp, campers looking on in interest, unaware of the god in their midst patrol teams holding their hilts of swords in preparation for an attacked. He walked past them all, ignoring everyone, his eyes solely set on his son.

Poseidon entered a small squat cabin towards the back, a greystone walled hut decorated with fishing equipment, setting the boy down into a sea-green cot, dancing seahorse carvings and tridents etched into the heavy oak that he materialised through his godly powers. He fed him, changed him and raised the boy, with the help of others, until he turned five.

Once the boy turned five, he handed the majority of the load over to the two young adults that were helping him raise the boy. A son of Hermes and a daughter of Aphrodite. He felt sorry for them. They had not long turned twenty and both had been given the role of parenthood, looking after a child of Poseidon, one that they didn't know he was for a time due to the thick layer of Mist.

Training the boy was the hardest part.

Even being the camp directors, the ones in charge, they found it a hard task to train the boy. It was stress-inducing having to look after him and the camp all at once, let alone train him thrown into the mix.

They started the boy off with wooden weapons, small dagger-like weapons, short swords just to build up some form of muscle to even fight properly. They pitted the boy against kids around his age, always losing the battle disgracing the Sea god further.

Poseidon grew tired of seeing the boy lose time after time, fight after fight, injury after injury. One day he snapped. He claimed the boy as his own, making the campers gasp in shock, as the boy looked up and around at the campers as they talked in hushed tones around him, gossiping about this sign.

Poseidon came to the camp once more when he turned six, the boys training becoming more tense and harsh, vigorous, painful. The boy became littered with scars, still not capable of fighting properly. Poseidon handed the boy a sword.

Riptide.

A light, well-balanced weapon made in the cyclops forges under the sea in Poseidon's Palace. The boy couldn't fight with the sword either. Poseidon sighed with anger, disgust at the disappointment this son was becoming. His firstborn son hadn't done anything to prove his worth in his father's eyes. Whilst his brother, Poseidon's other son had already killed a snake that had crawled in his cot as a baby.

Poseidon could still sense the powerful aura of Mist around his disappointment of a son. A thought struck the sea god.

Only he could sense his son's aura even though he'd been claimed. This should have caused trouble for the camp, but it seemed that the powerful aura around him, covered the young son of Poseidons scent. This gave the sea god the idea of sending the boy to Olympus to seek out Hecate, goddess of the mist. Poseidon kept the boy's identity a secret, for fear of the boy's life. He took the boy to Olympus to start his training with the goddess Hecate, agreeing to help the boy discover his true potential with using the Mist. The boy tugged at the goddesses heartstrings by explaining his life story, excluding the parts involving Poseidon.

The boy came out of half a years worth of training, learning to fight and manipulate the Mist around him, learning to bend it around him allowing him to change his appearance, hide his scent, hide his identity from others almost like a form of invisibility, read others minds for information as well as the ability to wipe their memories of certain events. All of these abilities this boy possed would become stronger over time, the more he used it the stronger he would become.

Poseidon was starting to become proud of his son, to the extent of giving him a gift. A pair of bronze rings that would transform into a set of celestial bronze knuckle dusters. The boy stared down in wonder at the weapons that would act as a substitute for blades he couldn't get to grips with. The boy smiled up at his father, his eyes shimmering with tears, finally being able to fight something instead of collecting scars from others abusing the disgraceful son of Poseidon.

Back in London, he trained against lesser monsters and practice dummies, getting a feel for his newfound love in the weapons. That was until one day, the boy stumbled across an event that took place around the small streets of Battersea, two rising stars in the offroading Motorsport scene became the boy's idol, the boy instantly finding a new love rather quickly taking a shine to the world of Motorsport.

Poseidon noticed this one day, seeing the wonder and the shimmer in his eye once more. He smiled down to his son, a light chuckle leaving his lips as he looked on at the scene. He was getting used to his son's newfound skills in hand to hand combat, tackling monster hunting quests and achieving victories instead of scars. Poseidon treated his son to another gift, giving him a car, for his son's hard work.

Now from a parents point of view, giving a six-year-old boy a car for his hard work would be heavily frowned upon. But he was different. His upbringing was harsh and grown-up, finding a lot of maturity in him despite his age. He was taught right from wrong every day growing up, especially from his father trying to turn him into a weapon of the gods. His son, still without a name despite his six years of life; getting used to being called Boy, thanked his father for the gift promising he wouldn't let him down.

Poseidon made his son change his appearance to appear older than his six years of life to even be able to compete in life. The boy agreed and changed his appearance to be that of a twelve-year-old, something that took great concentration to hold for a long period of time but would get easier over time. Doing this made him eligible for the junior program in Rallycross, something he looked forward to at his excitable age.

At the age of seven was when he was finally named, just before starting life in Motorsport. Arcmelos was what Poseidon decided for the boy, Arcmelos Jackson. A strong fitting name for the son of Poseidon. After travelling around different parts of the world, he finally came to a recently designed rallycross circuit on the outskirts of Manhattan, which was his first encounter with the Satyr and three Demigods.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The First Encounter

The Satyr and the young dishevelled black haired Half-blood, Thalia, crested the hill panting. She glanced over her shoulder to the young blonde Daughter of Athena hiking up the hill next to the dirty blonde haired Son of Hermes, dried blood and mud covering parts of his face. The Satyr gazed around frantically sniffing at the air, alarming the Daughter of Zeus into drawing her weapon.

"What do you smell? Monsters?" She whipped her head around, looking agitated, not being able to catch a break.

The daughter of Athena stood next to them, looking around worriedly with Luke stopping with them, a comforting hand on Annabeth's shoulder as they regained their breaths.

"Why've we stopped?" Luke wondered aloud, breathing heavily. He glanced over his shoulder to see if anything was following them, gazing into the brush below. The Satyr, Grover, shook his head looking rather bewildered, still sniffing the air.

"No, I can smell. Something strong, like Thalia. Powerful. Another Demigod." He mumbled, between inhaling the air. Annabeth's eyes widened, looking around scared, not a lot frightened the Daughter of Athena, besides spiders. But with the week she'd had Grover being able to sense something or someone strong was something that greatly concerned her.

"Powerful? How powerful? More than Thalia? C-can they be trusted?" Annabeth wondered timidly. Grover shook his head, pointing down to a track in the distance, finally pinpointing the location of the strong scent. The area in question was a newly designed hybrid track of dirt and tarmac, with small shapes moving rapidly around the circuit, and hundreds of tiny specs surrounding the embankments all around the track.

"I'm not sure, but it's coming from that dirt track down at the bottom of the valley." He breathed shakily, wandering down towards the track.

As Grover led the way down, he noticed something else that felt odd. It felt like something was watching them, something strong which Grover couldn't put his finger on. It didn't feel threatening like the scent of a monster usually did, but it still worried them. Speaking of monsters, why hadn't they been attacked since that cyclops incident? There were monsters everywhere you turned if you looked hard enough.

As they walked nearer the track, they could hear faint music coming from the paddock, barely over the sound of the cars rapidly making their way around the track. They heard the crowd cheer as something happened, hearing the commentators explaining the lead car had rolled as it ran wide onto the embankment, landing on its wheels on the side of the track. As they got closer to the paddock, Thalia was the only one who recognised the music.

"huh, someone has good taste in music. That's Metallica." Thalia mused absently to herself, not expecting a response from everyone.

With the help of Grover's keen sense of hearing, they managed to pinpoint where the music was coming from. The cheers were heard once more as the commentator excitedly exclaimed about another new race leader, the sound of the cars getting closer as the paddock was quite close to the action on the track.

They came to a truck and gazebo, painted yellow and black with a new energy drink company as its main sponsor. On the table in front of them laid out was a bunch of freebies, posters, keyrings and little taster cans of Rockstar Energy. Grover glanced around, hoping no one was around to see has he picked up three empty cans that were left strewn on the tables, eating them in one bite, like mini hors d'oeuvre.

From behind them, they heard the eruption of the crowd once more, the commentator coming loudly through the paddock speakers around them.

"And there we have it, our new champion in the WRX championship, the youngest to ever compete and win a fully backed championship. Arcmelos Jackson is the Two Thousand and One Champion. He will be off to compete in the X Games in a couple of weeks, to see if he has what it takes to go up against the big boys." He finished, signing off and wishing everyone a safe travel home.

Within seconds the three Demigods and Satyr were surrounded by a rush of fifty people, all coming over to see this young 'star' for when he returned from his driver podium.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that this is that person." Grover explained, glancing to the others. Shortly after, around five minutes, the sound of a revving engine startled the crowd from behind, watching as the crowd parted to allow the driver to park under his tent.

As soon as he got out, he was swarmed by people wanting his autograph, watching as he signed freebies like posters and the Rockstar Energy cans, which Grover thought was a waste, looking shocked at the boy and his young age. After about twenty-minutes of signing autographs, everybody left to go home or wander around the paddock greeting other drivers and getting autographs and pictures. He glanced to them briefly, waiting expectantly for them to hand him something to sign before he sensed their true nature through the Mist.

"Oh, you're not fans." Arcmelos started looking between them. He placed the trophy on the table in front of them, perching beside it as he sipped on a can of Rockstar. "In that case then, what can I do for a Satyr, a Daughter of Athena, a Son of Hermes and a Daughter of Zeus?" He wondered, wiping his finger around the rim of the can. All four of them stood in front of him looking stunned.

Annabeth stammered and demanded, "H-How do you know who we are?"

"You have nothing to fear from me, I'm just a Demigod like you, the same age too." He stated, popping the ring pull on top of another can. " I can just read minds with the help of the Mist is all." He finished shrugging off what he'd just said as if it was a normal thing everyone could do.

"You can read minds?" Thalia stated in shock, a mixture of fear and amazement on her face. He nodded slowly, thinking about how to explain it.

"Well somewhat, the more I practice with the Mist, the easier it will be to do it, at the moment it's a relatively new thing I've started doing so I'm not fantastic at it, it comes through in waves like a poorly received radio transmission." He finished. He stood, walking to the fridge at the back, pushing a few more cans inside. The fridge was filled to the brim with more than enough Rockstar for a lifetime, although half of its stock had been depleted for fans.

"You don't look my age, you look more around the same age as Thalia." Annabeth carried on, coming out of her daze on his explanation, a critical expression affixing her face. He nodded, sitting back on the table pulling another can from the cool box beside him, offering some to them.

"They're free, you all look thirsty. It's a new energy drink company that decided to take a leap of faith and sponsor me." He explained, watching as they cautiously took one. "And I am actually your age, I just change my identity a little through the Mist so I can compete in life. A seven-year-old can't really do much in Motorsport beside karting otherwise." He stated, swinging his legs over the side of the table, the Demigods in front of him realising that his actions were as a child would act.

"As I've answered your questions, mind if I ask your names and what you're doing? I already know the Daughter of Zeus seen as you told me." He explained, looking somewhat amused with the situation.

"I'm Grover. I was sent out by our camp director to find and bring Thalia back to camp, what with her being a child of Zeus." Grover explained, watching the Demigod in front of him nodding. "This is Luke, Son of Hermes and Annabeth Daughter of Athena." Grover finished, each of them looking at him critically.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Arc smiled, still swinging his legs like a child, Iron Maiden playing overhead, faintly coming through the speaker system.

"Besides being Arcmelos Jackson, who are you?" Luke started, his hand resting on his sword cautiously. Arc noticed this, his eyebrow flicking up, feeling slightly hurt and offended.

"A Son of Hecate? You resemble her a little, I suppose." Grover finished, eying his facial features and slightly spiked black hair.

"Luke, I'm feeling a little hurt right now that you're thinking I might be a threat, far from it. Just a normal Demigod doing what he likes. Well, a somewhat normal Demigod." He finished, seeing Luke's grip on his sword loosen. "As for you Grover, I am not a Son of Hecate, I can understand the confusion. I was trained by her for half a year before I started doing this, hence the Mist." He explained, standing from his perch on the table.

"Oh, and by the way, you're welcome. I can hide our scent which is why you haven't been attacked." He stated nonchalantly. "Although as soon as you leave my radius I'm afraid you're back to being a target, I'm still trying to work on extending that radius." He finished, standing once more picking up the trophy from the table. They watched in silence as he examined it briefly before tossing it towards the lorry's side door, seeing the trophy sail through the air expecting a heavy thud. They were stunned to see it float the rest of the way into an awaiting open trophy case, watching as it closed and locked in place.

"So if you're not a Son of Hecate, who are you then?" Luke wondered, eying him sceptically, all of them still shocked on what they'd just witnessed. He began lowering the back of the lorry, the car lift descending to the floor.

"Son of Poseidon." He said simply, ignoring the rising tingling sensation on the back of his neck, a warning from his father. They watched him climb into the car and drive onto the ramp, watching it ascend to the top before it drove out of sight. A few seconds later they heard the grumbling engine cut off and saw him reappear at the door a moment later, making his way back over to the rear. He closed it up, closing the latches as he looked expectantly to them, sensing the multitude of questions running through their minds.

"You have to come to camp with us, we can train you. Help you." Grover stated, his eyes pleading. Arc sighed as he sat once more on the table looking between them all.

"I can't and won't. I mean that in a good way. I already have a camp I attend in London, they've trained me well and as for me going with you, I'm not meant to be here right now. You see I have a brother here in New York. I'm meant to steer well clear of this City but he and my mum aren't aware of my existence. The Mist had a glorious helping hand in that affair, and one son of Poseidon is bad enough, let alone two. I suspect you will meet him one day, myself again someday, but as of right now you were never meant to stumble across me today." He finished, looking between them all.

"There's another Son of Poseidon." Grover gaped, looking over to Thalia. He nodded, taking a long intake of breath, glancing towards the sky above, still ignoring his father's warnings.

"Yes, but I am afraid you won't remember this encounter, and if you do it won't be for a very long time." He stated. A cold sense of feeling washing over the four, as his words sunk in.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth stated, Luke's hand twitching around his hilt once more. Arcmelos sighed as he waved his hand, watching as the four collapsed to the floor in front of him, thankful no one was around to see. He waved his hand, everything around him dismantling itself and packing into the back of the lorry, piling the four into the lorry along with him.

He started driving, waving at the gate to the people who congratulated him, seeing him in the passenger seat with the help of the Mist. He pulled up to the side of the road, very close to Camp Half-Blood unloading the four at the rest stop they were heading for before their accidental detour on his part, a slip in concentration with the Mist. He hoped they didn't remember him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - They Meet Again

Thalia, Grover, Annabeth and Luke awoke inside their next rest stop just a few miles away from Camp Half-Blood. They sat around and ate food as they sat around, confused about how they got there and where they just were, but none of them could remember.

There was a guttural roar from outside.

The hut shook as if an earthquake had hit. They all clambered out, seeing monsters, hundreds of them closing in on their position before sprinting into the direction of Camp. It was about eight at night when they saw the hill.

That was when they were cornered.

All of them looked shook up and Annabeth had sprained her ankle running through the forest towards Camp. Thalia being the brave hero she was decided to hold off the army of monsters by herself, to save her friends. That was the last thing she did. Thalia sacrificed herself for her newfound friends. Zeus took pity on his daughter's death and turned her into a pine tree that now protected the Camp, with a magical border that allows demigods access but monsters stay out.

Grover took Annabeth and Luke to Chiron, where he was sat at a table inside a blue house. Grover told them briefly it was called The Big House, before having to explain himself to the Cloven Council.

The Satyr's face paled.

He left the two with Chiron who he introduced whilst at the Big House as he trotted off, the three hoping the meeting went well. Luke and Annabeth followed Chiron, in wheelchair form after revealing he was Chiron as in the Centaur, inside as they sat around a ping pong table and talked about their journey.

When it came to the part about meeting Arcmelos, things were a bit of a blur at that point, they could only remember the sound of the car he was driving, with a Yellow and Black livery and something to do with an energy drink.

It felt as if someone had plucked that part from their mind and there was now a big gap. They finished their story and looked to the corner of the room, where they saw a stack of Wine Magazines. Upon closer inspection of the magazines, they saw an advert being shown on the back, advertising the X Games in LA in a couple of weeks.

That sparked something in their minds about Arcmelos. They told Chiron that they needed to go to LA to see the X Games because they knew that it was important to their missing memories. Chiron looked hesitant about the subject but they convinced Chiron it had something to do with something, or someone, powerful.

Two weeks later and a couple of days prior for the long journey by van, Argus the head of security who was covered with eyes that watched everything around him, never tired. He stopped on occasion, letting the Demigods and Chiron stretch their legs, use the restrooms and get food before eventually making it to the LA Memorial Coliseum. He dropped Grover, Chiron, Luke and Annabeth off at the main gates, waiting in the van himself for them to come back.

They got inside after they showed their tickets on the way in, something that was hard to procure on such short notice but with the help of the Mist and a few Drachma to the right people, they managed it. The first heat wasn't too far from starting, that weekend focusing on the Rallycross portion of the event.

The races consisted of a warm-up race to get used to the layout of the ever-changing course each year it was held. It was then followed by the elimination rounds that were split into separate races.

The events of race day were set across six different categories, much like the World Cup. It was head to head racing, spread across twenty drivers, every loser entering a racing pool for a ten lap race at the end for everyone to enjoy, everyone coming away with trophies and money by the end of it. The last two were to go head to head with each other to be crowned that years X Games Rallycross Champion.

They wandered around the paddock, looking for something to spark their memories until they saw the familiar sight of the Yellow and Black truck and tent. Their memory of the young Demigod came rushing back, eyes widening as they remembered the details of their encounter.

They rushed over, disappointment washing over them when they saw it was vacant of the yellow and black car. As if on queue, music blared from the speakers around them and the announcer rushed over the details, the car sailing briefly through the air, before coming to a standstill by his starting grid. The song was distinctive of the Demigod's taste in music, Lights Out by the British Rock band U.F.O.

The four rushed to the viewing area nearest to them, seeing the young Demigod sitting on Pole, waiting for his Competitors to arrive for the warm-up race, the qualifying races being held the day before.

"Arcmelos Jackson was drawn first from the pile of numbers for this starting race, these are the driver's he is potentially up against if he and any of the others make it through each knockout round. Now Arcmelos is a bit of a special driver, he recently won the WRX Championship over in New York and was invited to drive here at the X Games, making him the youngest ever to win a Championship in World Rallycross and compete in the X Games. If you've never seen him race before folks, well you're in for a treat." The Announcer grinned, walking past the car.

They tuned out his rambling, focusing solely on the Demigod driver before them, watching and waiting for the warm-up race to be underway, the first heat straight after. They watched him race, surprised at his pace and how easy he made it look driving on dirt that kicked up around them all, watching as he came over the mound of dirt at the entrance, fireworks flying in celebration as he crossed the line first in the warm-up.

Minutes turned into hours as they watched him win every event, some cutting it very close others completely walking it, waiting for the final event. It was around Five in the Evening when the head to head was finally about to start, Arcmelos Jackson VS Tanner Foust, two rising stars in Rallycross and the man that got him hooked on Motorsport going head to head.

Highway to Hell by AC/DC pumped through the speakers around the stadium, bouncing around the walls as they all watched the two drivers line up side by side for the ten lap sprint race consisting of two joker laps. They watched the two drivers give thumbs up to each other, wishing them luck as the lights turned green just as the song ended, both shooting off on the loose dirt, struggling for traction.

The race was long and hard for them both, a few slip-ups under pressure from them both occurred, to his annoyance and it came down to the last lap on the last few corners. They heard the crowd erupt from the outside portion of the race when he overtook Foust up the inside at the last corner, the crowd erupting around them as the yellow and black Mitsubishi jumped over the finish line once more, fireworks flying all over to win the X Games.

To top it off and to show off a bit, he took a victory lap, spinning the car around to do some doughnuts, the crowd increasing in volume if it was possible. As he waved at the cheering crowd around him, doing the same for the outside spectators, he soon arrived at the podium. He stepped out of his car, waving to the crowd as he ascended the steps to the award ceremony, the final sprint race happening just after he stepped off the podium. He looked out over the crowd to see three familiar faces and one he'd never met before but knew of him due to his teachings from Poseidon.

After a brief speech and receiving a check for one hundred thousand, he climbed down the steps from the podium, trophy in hand. The two Demigods, Satyr and Centaur waited for the young demigod at his lorry. They were there only for a moment, waiting for him to finish signing autographs, watching his main sponsor Rockstar Energy hand out cans of drink to the public, in celebration. he stepped back into the car, placing his trophy beside him and drove back to the Paddock, where the three faces he knew, were standing but the other was in a wheelchair.

The boy parked up, signed some more autographs and got a few pictures taken with the car, trophy and some parents' kids. After they left all left twenty minutes later to watch the remaining last race, Arcmelos glanced over at Chrion and smiled.

"I obviously didn't do a good enough job with wiping your memories, I'm still getting used to it." He waved off. "I see the rumours about Thalia were true then, unfortunately." Arc sighed, repeating his actions from last time as he sat on the table in front of them, legs swinging with Rockstar in hand.

"You wiped our minds?" Luke growled, stepping forward. "Why? And if it wasn't for you, Thalia would still be alive if you'd have come to camp with us." Arc sighed, ultimately knowing what he was saying was true.

"I'm aware. I should've dropped you off to Camp myself but feared the outcome had I outed myself as the Son of Poseidon too early to the camp." He sighed, gauging Chirons reaction.

"You're a Son of Poseidon. You need to come back with us immediately." Chiron stated, seriousness on his weathered yet kind face. He shook his head as he drank, the sweet taste something he loved.

"I can't, not allowed. His orders. As I said to them last time they saw me, they weren't meant to meet me, hence the Mist Memory Wipe. The day everyone meets me is a long way down the road." He explained, kicking his feet.

"You keep mentioning this, what is this about The Mist?" Chiron stated eying the Demigod before him.

"Well I was born in it you see, a very heavy layer that no one could see through, the doctors, my mum, the nurses. I was completely hidden from sight. Poseidon took me to England to a Camp at Battersea Powerstation, and here I am. And here you are, many years early once more." He sighed, looking down to his watch, the hairs rising on his neck accompanied by the tingling sensation worsening on his neck.

"Alright, you've made your point." Arc growled staring up at the sky to his father, relenting at last to his ever-growing pain. He sighed as he looked up to them. "Sorry again. I'll see you soon." He mumbled, waving his hand once more like last time, watching them drop to the floor. Once again he loaded everything into the lorry using the Mist, driving out of the main gates to find a Strawberry Farm van parked up outside in the carpark, spotting a New York address near Long Island Sound. He waved the driver to follow him, Argus looking cautiously through the window as he followed.

They stopped on a dirt path, the young Demigod jumping out as he unloaded the four of them, concerning Argus greatly. He waved his hand once more in a goodbye gesture, wiping the driver's mind in the process of his presence before climbing into the lorry and driving off himself.

They all came too an hour after Argus, waking up in the van on their way back to camp, their memories fuzzy on where they were and what just happened. They had forgotten meeting Arcmelos and the story he had told them, again for the two demigods and Satyr. For the last time as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Gaining new insight

Once he had completed his goal in Rallycross and the X Games, he looked to other platforms of motorsport to try, but no one would have him due to his age. He was lucky to achieve his goal in WRX as it was but he couldn't change how he looked to make himself look older as it would raise too much suspicion. Instead, he decided to travel once again to Mount Olympus to learn some new skills.

He roamed through the halls, looking up at the colossal marble structures overhead, stumbling across the god he was looking for, almost as if he was leading Arc to him. He dared test the god of War, asking for skill in hand to hand combat. He didn't feel as if his father's 'prodding' was enough, he still wasn't a fantastic fighter. He could be better.

The god laughed in the Demigod's face, giving him a task he knew he couldn't complete, but was surprised and shocked to see that he did come back with the chariot he was tasked to steal from his two sons, Deimos and Phobos, he asked for the boy's name.

"Arcmelos, Sir." The boy responded, bowing to the War god, trying to hide the violent shakes. The god of War, hummed, stroking his chin grinning a wicked smile nodding in acknowledgement of his achievement.

"I'll teach you, boy. You've got guts. Shame I'm going to spill them with this training." He transformed to his mortal height, jumping straight in with his training; feeding him Ambrosia and Nectar to keep his strength from waning. He faltered on many occasions picking up more than his fair share of scares, adding to his collection and in doing so Ares was constantly finding faults in the boy's way of fighting, stance, and something hidden.

Ares frowned, sensing a powerful aura inside of him, especially when the powerful aura nearly slipped out when Ares cut it a bit too close on his life. His training became worse and more vigorous, rage-inducing. He grew angrier and angrier until a sea-green glow surrounded him, making the fight against Ares tip on its scale, leaning towards the raging son of Poseidon. The fight became easier for Arc, not even feeling Ares powerful strikes. Ares grinned at him, watching the rage flow around his eyes. His training was complete. He didn't realise how long it had been while he was fighting Ares, it only felt like a few minutes, but it had been months.

Arcmelos wandered into the hallway seeking out the god of forges, Hephaestus. The god raised his eyebrows in shock, seeing a demigod asking for guidance in forging, a demigod that wasn't one of his own. He thought for a moment and sent the boy on his way to one of the many forges around the world under volcanoes. He used his newfound powers to deal with the nest infestation and regain a small device that looked like a mobile phone but was coated in bronze. The boy returned moments later, Hephaestus impressed with his talents, sneaky like a son of Hermes but he didn't have the same aura about him. Hephaestus agreed to teach the boy some smithing lessons, and knowledge to make morphing objects. This intrigued his interest when an idea struck him. He looked up at Hephaestus asking a question about his car, wanting it to be enchanted with this morphing 'technology'. Hephaestus hummed in thought nodding at the ideas Arcmelos talked about.

"Alright, doesn't sound like much of a problem. So you want your car to turn into anything you want by just thinking of it? Turn into a keyring by pushing the logo on the back and changes back when you throw it? And the capability of turning the car into any kind of situation, in terms of motorsport, so racing, offroad mode and road mode?" He nodded looking sheepish at the long wish, realising how ridiculous it sounded. And long.

Hephaestus laughed lightly, nodding and waved his hand, the car appearing in front of them, changing around it at a rapid pace of every known car, with more for later years to come. Arcmelos grinned, bowing to Hephaestus at the gifts he'd bestowed upon him and left, promising that if he ever needed help with anything else, to just call upon him.

Another thought struck him as he came to the door, an idea for a weapon.

Using his new-found knowledge he used one of Hephaestus' forges, with his permission, of course, to make some new weapons, tired of close-quarters combat from time to time. He wanted something that didn't require punching something all the time. The forge god looking over his shoulder without him realising, too deep in thought of the weapon and ammo he was creating. He grinned at the idea of the enchanted weapon. With the help of Hephaestus, it was built, designed to form into any weapon he desired for any given situation. Within reason. The weapon shifted, like the car from many possible weapons, crossbows, shields, pistol after pistol, any age-old and new before it finished on a Desert Eagle, a celestial bronze plated gun with bronze bullets, to only harm monsters and not mortals.

After thanking the Hephaestus once more, he made his way back to Hecate to learn some more things to do with the Mist. She hummed in thought and looked down at him, seeing more strength in him than the last time they met. "I think you are ready to learn about travelling." She mused.

"Travelling?" Arcmelos wondered. Hecate nodded and started to shimmer with Mist and disappeared. She popped back into existence somewhere else in the room, grinning. He gaped at her, looking between the two spaces in shock. "So Mist travel? A form of teleportation." He wondered. The goddess nodded, looking over the boy.

"Yes just concentrate on the Mist surrounding you and visualise a place you wish to go, anywhere in the world. But be warned. It is a powerful form of movement, it will drain you of a lot of strength, but over time you will come to learn to use it properly, and take others with you. As you are half-mortal, I would advise against large quantities of people, any more than two without practice could kill you." The boy nodded, swallowing down his fear, and closed his eyes. He focused on a place where he'd like to go. Home. But found himself getting distracted with a noise in the halls of Olympus.

He opened his eyes, staring up at the god of the Sun, Apollo looking down on the boy with an amused expression, an eyebrow raised. The boy knelt, apologising profusely for his intrusion.

"I was focusing elsewhere, Sir, I'm very sorry for intruding." The god chuckled, scanning the boy's appearance.

"Quite alright, boy. Just be thankful you didn't end up in Zeus and Hera's Palace, that would've definitely been a disaster. Tell you what, I like you kid, mischievous, what's your name?" The god mused.

"Arcmelos, Sir." Apollo nodded, smiling to himself. Apollo leant forward from his chair glancing down at his watch.

"We've got four more hours of night left before I start. My sister is currently out with her Hunters, hunting her sacred mythical Golden Deer, I want you to mess with her a bit and kill the Deer before they do. It'll be amusing to me." Apollo grinned. He nodded, smiling to himself, at the young god, acting like sons Hermes, mischievous and troublesome.

Arcmelos closed his eyes and focused, and when he opened his eyes he found himself in a forest, the sound of insects chirping around him and bats squeaking overhead. He scanned around his surroundings for a while, looking around trying to see something in this darkness. He could hear yelling in the distance, a girls voice yelling commands to her Hunters.

He shrouded himself in the Mist, walking in the direction of where the yelling was coming from, trying to miss every fallen twig possible as to not alert them of his presence. A golden blur rushed past him, and he aimed with his newly forged weapon, in crossbow form. He took the shot, hitting the Deers hind leg, as it collapsed to the floor and shimmered with godly power before fading. Arcmelos felt a warm glow wash over him, as Apollo bestowed some minor healing knowledge, making the boy almost as good as a child of Apollo.

Arcmelos, felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as he heard a cry from the left, the sister of Apollo, Artemis, commanding her Hunters to find whoever it was that killed the Deer. Her eyes locked onto him, a low feral growl leaving her lips.

"Time to go." He thought, as well as heard from Apollo in his head. He took off in a sprint as Artemis barrelled down the forest with the Hunters in tow, commanding them to take the wretched boy down. Arcmelos weaved in and out of trees, ducking from arrows that whizzed over his head, his demigod instincts kicking in, remembering all he was taught over the years about survival came flooding back to him.

This chase went on for nearly an hour, dodging arrows and rope slings trying to trip the demigod, eventually making it into the street of a small town nearby, although he realised he wasn't anywhere near Manhattan anymore, he was more up north, near Maine. Arcmelos was running for water, the sea that he could see in the distance. He panted out of breath and rummaged around in his pocket to find the small keyring, hoping that it could turn into a boat to escape the deadly Hunters.

His eyes widened in alarm when he didn't feel the keyring. He'd left it on Olympus. An idea struck and he decided to do something idiotic, he spun around quickly and shot a bolt from the crossbow into the mass of Hunters and hit the Lieutenant in the thigh. He cringed outwardly when he heard the shrill blood-curdling cry from the girl, he waved his hand and behind him as he ran appeared some nectar and ambrosia with some salve and bandages he manifested from Mist and the help of Apollo's healing magic.

He took this moment of distraction to sprint to the cliff edge and dived for the water, the cold water rushing over his head. He sighed underwater glad to be away from the Hunting Pack, although he knew this wouldn't be the end of it especially after the stunt he just pulled.

He was on the run for three days, thinking he had finally got away, tired and unable to concentrate on the Mist, walking through the outskirts of the town of Salem, that was until Artemis and her Lieutenant got a lucky shot on the boy using a rope sling, catching it around the boys ankles slamming him to the floor. He groaned in pain and pushed over to face upwards at the two females growling above him, on the side of the empty road, feeling a sharp pain in his ribs, seeing an arrow sticking out, piercing the side of him.

"Speak." Artemis growled.

Arcmelos sighed, knowing that he was done for, then grunted in pain once more, feeling blood drip from the wound as the Lieutenant ripped it out.

"Your brother sent me to annoy you, he wanted me to mess with you by killing your sacred animal and in exchange, he gave me some training in the healing arts. I'm really sorry." Artemis surprisingly untied him, rather reluctantly, seeing through the Mist appearance around him noticing his young age. An idiot he sensed, hearing her words in his head. But her lieutenant caused a fuss about letting him go.

"Artemis, you can't just let this boy go! He caused us a huge problem in making us chase him for three days! Including shooting me. He must be punished."

"No Zoë, he is just a boy, merely seven years old, he is no threat to us. It's my stupid brother that caused this not him. Besides, I think he's learnt a lesson, especially with you using a barbed arrow on the poor kid." Artemis replied. Zoë glowered at him, growling down at the boy, looking distastefully down at him.

Artemis let the boy up, and grumbled under her breath, about her idiotic brother, while Zoë still glowered at his every move. He apologised one more time, still watching Zoë carefully, in case she tried something and leant on the Armco barrier before he was on his way, making some nectar from the Mist and Apollo's gift. He breathed out haggardly, waiting for the drink of the gods to kick in, rubbing salve on the closing entry and exit wounds becoming more scars to his collection.

He watched them walk to the other side of the road, joining the other hunters who all scowled at him, giving him death stares before running into the forest chasing the Golden Deer once more. Typical. He thought, all that trouble chasing him down when it came back anyway just for them to do the same thing again. He rubbed his face tiredly, feeling a little better before Mist travelling to Hephaestus' forge to retrieve the keyring.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The Reunion

Arcmelos was a strange demigod, even though his father told him to stay away from the events transpiring in America, involving Percy and his first quest, no one could blame him for being curious about his life and where he came from. Instead of training at his camp back in England, worrying the Son of Hermes and Daughter of Aphrodite in the process, he watched over his brother, concerning him on more than one occasion, making him think he was going crazy.

Percy swore he kept seeing a black and white striped Mustang Shelby GT500, nearly everywhere he went he could've sworn he saw the car following him. The first time he saw the car was outside his apartment over the road, just after he was poisoned by Luke. He saw it out the window, thinking nothing of it at the time, thinking it was Gabe's new car after the Camaro was destroyed.

The next time he saw it was parked up outside of Miami docks, just after the confrontation with Luke on the cruise liner and a strange bolt pierced the giant's mouth just as it was about to eat his friends. He later saw the car the next day parked up on the side of the road by the beach where he sat after talking with Tyson, saying goodbye. He caught a glimpse of the car out of the corner of his eye, turning frantically, face paling as he realised someone had been following him. Voicing his concerns to Grover and Annabeth. They all frowned at the car as it slowly peeled away from the side of the road, going down a dirt path then disappearing right in front of them.

Arcmelos was a strange demigod.

Seven Years Later - Present Day.

It was a bleak winter afternoon, cold for the teenage Demigod, bundled up in his winter clothing and the heater on full blast. The radio softly pumped out Metallica through the speakers as he relaxed. He sat, looking down on the old dirt track that was now somewhat abandoned where he won his first Rallycross championship. Reliving the memories of old.

He missed that part of his life.

He was currently waiting for the go-ahead to get to Camp Half-Blood to finally make himself known. He watched the light snowfall on the windscreen, the wipers occasionally wiping it off and sighed to himself. That side of his life was long lost, the shine in his eyes gone. He still took part in motorsport but had to alter the world's memories of him, once he learned to do so with little effort anyway, so that no one in the world could remember the real year of that boy's victory.

It was too much effort to make his appearance change to appear twenty years old forever, appearing in the limelight and gaining in popularity, so he altered the year to say it was rather recent so he didn't have to lie about his age anymore. He was done doing that for motorsport, it was too much hassle.

Poseidon opened the passenger side door, sliding into the seat beside his son, looking out over the abandoned track himself. "It's time for you to go to Camp Half-Blood. Find Chiron and tell him everything, he will understand your reasons for hiding." Poseidon explained. Arcmelos nodded absentmindedly humming in acknowledgement, lost in thought. Poseidon sighed, thinking back to the way he treated him growing up, knowing this was the reason as to why his firstborn was so cold to him.

"I am sorry the way I treated you growing up, it was never my intention to act so cold to you, I just wanted what was best for you in life, to become this man you're now."

"Weapon you mean, you pushed me to the brink of death on multiple occasions. You're still my father but, I can't forgive you for how you treated me, looking at me as if I was a disappointment to you. A disgrace to the Sea gods name." Arcmelos said with distaste. Poseidon knew what he had done was wrong and nearly drove him to the brink of turning. "You're very lucky I can't be manipulated by your friend way downstairs." He grumbled looking at his father to his side.

Poseidon sighed and nodded realising the truth to his words. Poseidon made his son a walking doomsday device, capable of ending everything.

"I truly am sorry, son." Poseidon insisted, stepping out of the car, the Shelby GT500.

Arcmelos sighed, looking at the man he called father, watching as he vanished over the hill before a flash of light was seen. He shook his head, turning the key in the ignition, masking his appearance of that of a sixteen-year-old as to not raise suspicion on why a fourteen-year-old was driving around in a car.

He started up the dirty gravel trail that led away from the track, thankful that he'd tinkered with the box Hephaestus fitted that allowed the car to change to anything he wanted, including the different presets. The newly added feature was made to fit the road going car only so that the car was never damaged in any sense but in the motorsport preset it was another story, unless otherwise.

He stopped at the end of the trail, checking his surroundings before peeling off onto the slippery road that needed to be gritted. It took longer than he would've liked to get to Camp, an hour and a half due to the slippery roads causing some trouble and traffic along the way. He pulled up at the base of Thalia's tree, pressing the Trident on the back of the car turning it into a keyring on the end of his keys.

He managed to climb the slight crest, only slipping once to his annoyance, to walk past the dragon guarding the fleece. The sound of crunching snow beneath his feet changed to snapping twigs as he entered the magical border that kept monsters out including the weather, his eyes set on the big blue house in the clearing towards the base of the hill.

Dryads peeked out from their trees, as they murmured in hushed tones at the new arrival walking down the hill, confidently as if nothing was amiss. That was something that concerned them. A new arrival tends to mean confusion on what was happening, but someone just walking in without a Satyr as an escort could spell trouble.

But this wasn't his first time at the camp. He thought back to when he'd accidentally stumbled into the camp and realised quickly where he was. He made a rather quick exit as his brother walked past him, paying no attention to the new camper, to engrossed about an argument he just had with Annabeth about the chariot races.

He found himself at the bottom of the porch, coming out of his thoughts, and as he glanced up to see Chiron and Mr D playing a game of pinochle. He cleared his throat to gain their attention, where a devilish grin spread on Mr D's face while Chiron glanced up briefly from his cards before his face drained of colour.

"No. I had convinced myself it was a dream. What on earth happened that day?" Chiron uttered.

Arcmelos bowed shortly to Mr D, smiling kindly but at the same time drained of emotion. "Mr D good to see you, long time."

Dionysus looked unimpressed to the Demigod before him, humming in acknowledgement, before afixing his gaze to the cards in hand once more.

"Well, I hope you've got a lot of time on your hands, it's a long story." He sighed, pulling the chair out in front of him and started explaining his story.

* * *

Chiron gaped in shock at the tale he'd just been told, even Mr D looked shocked, his knowledge on some of the details patchy. The retelling of the story had taken some time to get through, going over quite literally everything that had happened in life.

"Who knew old barnacle beard had it in him." Mr D mused.

"Do you know where Percy is?" Arc wondered, pulling out his notepad from his jacket pocket, flicking through to an empty page. Chiron regained his composure, shaking his head at the surprising tale of events.

"Your brother has gone North, he left to be dropped off at his house briefly, not too long after you arrived, to help Grover out with a Demigod at a military school up in Maine." Arcmelos nodded, jotting down the details in his notepad.

"Who's he with, just out of curiousity?" He wondered, flipping the pad shut and placing it back into his inside pocket.

"Annabeth and Thalia." Chiron answered, his expression still shocked by the situation. Arc kept a straight face, but inside his heart flipped. Growing up, and the first time he met her, he'd had somewhat of a crush on the daughter of Zeus and was relieved to hear that she had come back to life while he was at his Camp, training day in, day out.

He nodded and stood, ready to meet his brother at last, properly this time after fourteen years.

"Thank you, Chiron. Mr D, I'll return with them soon after." He smiled. He wandered off up the hill, Chiron and Mr D watching him go, still in disbelief over his story of events. Up by the road the son of Poseidon threw his keyring to the floor, the car turning into the black Mustang. He climbed inside, his foot slipping on the icy ground beneath him as he turned the key and put his seat belt on, the cars V8 grumbling to life.

He felt nervous surprisingly.

He continued his journey North, listening to U.F.O along the way, Chains Chains playing through the speakers. He was driving for a couple of hours in the snow that was slowly drifting down from the dark grey sky, singing along to the songs playing.

During the drive, he happened across a petrol station along the main road, his stomach grumbling in protest for lack of food. He looked to the fuel gauge, the never moving dial still on full and decided to stop in and get something sweet to eat, his sweet tooth acting up. A long time ago, he'd discovered why he had a sweet tooth, recalling the over abundance of Rockstar he drank. It helped replenish his energy over his powers of the Mist, not fully, sleep was the only way to properly recover, but sugar helped.

He pulled up onto the right-hand side of the petrol station, yanking the handbrake. He stepped out into the light snowfall, tapping his wallet in his pocket as he made it to the front door. He looked up, surprised when he bumped into a scruffy haired daughter of Zeus, eyes widening in slightly and apologising, the both of them.

"You look familiar... Have we met?" She wondered, looking him up and down, inspecting his face critically. She glanced over his shoulder to the car parked up at the pump, Percy and Annabeth talking in the back, laughing about something his mum just said.

He shook his head. No words left his mouth, the confrontation between them too soon. He cleared his throat after a split second, realising he was just staring before he managed to get something intelligible out of his mouth.

"No, I don't think so." He smiled coolly, mentally facepalming.

She hummed, her eyes scrunched as she tried to put the puzzle together that in part wasn't there. She sighed before smiling as she apologised again, making her way back to the car.

He watched as she climbed into the car, an apology leaving her mouth he heard in part before the door closed, Sally driving off away from the pump. He caught a glimpse of the frantic motions from Annabeth as he entered the shop, watching as she pointed to his car. He stood thumbing through the rack of sweets in front of him as Percy whipped around to catch a glimpse of the figure that accompanied the car that seemed to follow him.

He smiled to the cashier as he paid for the Mars bar and bottle of cream soda, before rushing over to his car as the snow came down harder once more. He placed the seatbelt around him, as he unwrapped the Mars bar, popping the cap on the bottle with the passenger seatbelt clasp, sipping on it before turning the key, the V8 sparking to life.

He hung back from the car containing his brother and mum, for fear of getting too close to early, and blowing the whole scenario out of water. He drove at a reserved pace, sipping on his drink every so often as he pulled into a carpark outside of a small cafe overlooking a lake behind it. He waited for what felt like forever, finally seeing his mother driving past him before he switched on his ignition once more, turning the lights and wipers on to clear the snow gathered on his windscreen.

He made sure to shroud himself in the Mist, driving the rest of the way towards the school, taking care as he drove down the dirt road leading towards the Military school, overlooking the ocean upon a cliff. He pulled into a spot nearest the school's entrance, watching as Percy burst through the door, chasing down the Manticore.

His rings changed to his Dusters, as he sprinted to his brother's aid, watching as he and Thalia were tossed backwards by the Manticores poison stinger. The Manticore sneered down at the two Demigods, ready to fire a poisoned projectile at the two, as Arc barreled into the Manticore, knocking him off his feet.

The Manticore growled as it took hit after hit from an unknown assailant before swinging his poison barbed tail in a circle around himself, knocking Arc to the floor beside Thalia and Percy, a few poison barbs embedded into his chest. He gasped in shock and pain, losing his hold on the Mist around him as he stared down at the barbs within him, his eyes burning with anger as he looked to the Manticore.

Thalia and Percy laid in shock for a moment, watching him as he stood, before joining him. He ripped the barbs from his chest, feeling a puss coagulating around his wounds as he wiped it off, flicking it to the floor. The three charged the Manticore from different sides, all three swiping at the beast as they ducked under his tail as it swung at them individually, confused and angry on who to attack first.

The sound of rotor blades was heard from behind as he glanced over his shoulder, the Manticore taking his lapse in concentration to knock him to the floor once more as he stared at the Black Hawk helicopter hovering over the edge of the cliff, sights trained on the Demigods.

He laid in bloodstained snow, feeling the poison seeping into his veins. He needed to find a way to end this, and quick. He didn't have long. He watched as Thalia and Percy were sent soaring through the air once more, their attacks no longer co-ordinated, watching as his brother landed awkwardly, a yelp of pain springing from his lips.

Arc growled as he charged the Manticore once more, the beast anticipating the attack as he swung his tail, the air escaping his lungs as he landed beside Thalia, feeling like a human baseball. He struggled for breath as he heard the Manticore growl from where he stood, looking to the three Demigods.

"Why don't you just die." He snarled, as he prepared his barbed stinger to shoot the three, finishing them. A volley of silver Arrows flew overhead, all three watching as each landed around him and some hitting their mark. He growled as he realised who they belonged too, watching from over his shoulder as another volley was fired from the cover of trees, as the Hunters rushed into the scene, commanded by Artemis and her Lieutenant Zoë Nightshade.

He heard Thalia sigh as they all stepped in front of the Demigods, shielding them from further attacks watching as Annabeth sprung onto the back of the Manticore, digging her dagger into his tough skin on his back. Arc growled as he looked up into the eyes of his worst enemy, watching as she sneered down at him, a small smile growing on her face.

He knew her game, the Hunters game. They wanted to steal a kill from him as he did to them all those years ago. He ignored the pain in his chest, the fire still burning within as he rolled to his side, away from the wall of the Hunters as his ring shimmered to the form of his celestial bronze-plated Desert Eagle, enchanting his rings a long time ago to make his weapons more convenient.

He growled once more as he noticed the Manticore sprinting for the edge of the cliff, giving up on trying fruitlessly to get the Blonde Daughter of Athena off his back. He barreled past the Hunters, ignoring the commands for him to return, sensing her lean on Percy through the Mist to refrain him from running after Annabeth.

As decent as his aim was, he didn't want to take a chance of firing a shot, for fear of hitting Annabeth. He sprinted past the stained snow, tainted with his blood, quickly freezing over as he nearly lost his footing on a Yankee's Cap, diving off the edge of the cliff after the beast, heading towards the jagged rocks below.

He reached out his arm, ready to pull Annabeths collar on her shirt, his words lost in the whipping winds around their ears, as he yelled for her to let go. He was shocked when they disappeared from sight, just before they hit a watery grave, feeling nothing on the impact. He appeared once more on the cliff's edge, bone dry, his gun trained on the Lieutenant as he growled venomously towards her.

"Zoë, if you don't get off of him in the next two seconds, I will shoot you in a more painful and instant place." He yelled, aiming at her chest. He watched her turn to him, her eyes alight as she glowered at the stoic Demigod.

"Yes. I'd like to see you try. You're surrounded by all of us what do you think the outcome will be?" She goaded. He threw his head back and laughed sarcastically.

"Oh please, I could take you all on in a matter of seconds, have you all on the ground before you notch your first-"

"ENOUGH!" Screamed Artemis. "Arc, If I hear one more word from you about harming my Hunters, we will hunt you down once more like the animal you're currently behaving as, and you are tempting Fate right now." Artemis growled. Arc glowered at the goddess and her Hunters, feeling his anger bubbling inside.

"And I'm sure all the gods on my side will appreciate that, won't they. That includes Apollo." He spat, twirling the gun in hand as it morphed back into the ring on his left hand. The pain in his chest was becoming increasingly noticeable, finally relenting to the pain as he stormed past them all, removing his jacket feeling the biting cold on his exposed arms and wounds.

He grumbled to himself about the Hunters, trudging to his car near the entrance of the school as he stripped himself of his bloodied shirt. He tossed it into the back of his boot, watching it vanish in the Mist, the shirt now ruined as he downed some Nectar and water, the taste reminiscent of freshly buttered sweet popcorn, feeling the two purge his blood of the poison.

He ignored the sound of footsteps heading his way, fearing it to be Artemis or Zoë, as he wiped down his front with a wet cloth, cleaning the red and green puss off of him as his wounds closed. He threw his shirt on overhead and was pleasantly surprised to see Thalia stood in awe before him, finally seeing him in the light. She recalled his face from earlier that day, while he slammed his boot shut, jacket and cloak in hand, eying him in confusion.

"You?" Thalia muttered a baffled expression crossing her face. "Who are you and what in Hades are you doing here?" She wondered, throwing her arms up in confusion, as he wrapped his jacket around him.

"A friend." He replied normally, sounding defeated. "Come on, I imagine the others are cold." He said, picking up his jacket and the thick cloak in hand, running his fingers through the soft feeling faux pelt. "I'll explain everything on our way back to camp." He sighed, glancing up at the sky above that was getting a little lighter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Coming Clean. Somewhat.

As they both walked back over, Thalia looked him over, this mysterious Demigod that appeared from nowhere and bumping into him previously in the Petrol Station. He confused her greatly. He rolled his rings around on his fingers in a nervous manner, drawing her attention to them at the same time. She examined the ring on his hand, watching as it swirled violently, changing from different shapes engraved on the rings themselves of all the things they could change to, weapon wise.

They both reached Percy, Grover and Nico, watching as he tossed the spare cloak. It floated through the air for a moment, landing around the shoulders of his brother and stretching to the extent that it could be wrapped around them all. Stunned silence was projected his way, watching as he dropped a bar of Ambrosia into his brother's lap. Percy looked to him as he walked past, ignoring them all, the close proximity to the Hunters bugging him, watching as he stood on the edge of the cliff, eying the helicopter flying in the distance.

Arc sighed as he stared to the rolling waves crashing against the rocks below, his eyes glancing to the helicopter flying away in the distance once more, confused on how out of place it seemed and felt. After a few moments, he began listening to the hushed murmurs about the mysterious Demigod from the people behind him.

"Grover? What can you get from him?" He heard Thalia whisper, the three of them eying him sceptically.

"Nothing. I can sense nothing, it's like he isn't anything. A Demigod, a mortal. Alive. He has no scent what so ever." Grover stated, his tone amazed. Arc smiled to himself as he swung his feet over the edge of the cliff, looking up to the sky above as he leaned on his hands, ignoring the bite of the cold on them.

"I can hear you, you know. You're not being very discreet." Arc mused, a small grin stretching his lips.

"Who are you then?" He heard Percy state, his arms flailing. He looked over his shoulder, standing once more as he glanced to Zoë advancing towards the four of them.

"It's a long story, and we haven't got a lot of time. I'll tell you on the way back to Camp. Artemis wants to speak with you." Arc finished, standing over them.

Percy looked up at him with a confused look on his face, "How do you know us and how do you know?" He watched his brother look him up and down, still unable to see the similarities the two shared.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, getting fed up with saying it, "I will explain everything to you all on the journey back to camp, and I know because Zoë is coming to get you." He scowled menacingly at her as she stood over Percy.

"Percy Jackson, Artemis wishes to see thee," Percy grumbled to himself, testing the weight on his ankle before he followed her to the tent, the fur cloak still around him.

After a while of standing in silence, lost in his thoughts he took note of cloaks absence, watching the three shivering in front of him. He tutted, removing his jacket, watching as it shimmered into another cloak nearly identical to the other but worn down over years of use, giving it to Thalia. He ignored the biting cold on his bare arms as he walked towards the tent, hearing Percy arguing, imagining the animated movements he was using.

"-Come to Camp with us Bianca, you can't join The Hunters, you need to be trained." His pace quickened slightly, feeling the warmth from the entrance of the tent, ignoring the Hunters who tried to stop him from entering. He heard his brother clearer as his assumption was correct, watching as he waved his arms in exasperation.

"I mean what do you get from joining them anyway?" He fully intruded inside the tent answering his brother's question, as he made his way over to the cloak, feeling warmer by the second.

"Well, immortality is one thing." He muttered without thought.

He ignored the looks of disgust he received from the Hunters and Zoë, watching as Artemis rolled her eyes in exasperation. He leant down, picking up the cloak beside Percy, standing before them as he looked down to his brother; a priceless expression on his face as he looked between Artemis and Zoë in disbelief. He caught on with the point rather quickly, realising that if someone gave up the chance to be immortal, they would be mad.

"Oh it's not the 'you can't die' type of immortality, they can die on the Battlefield, a certain Lieutenant came close to it, but they don't age." He explained to Percy, glancing at the flaring irritation from the Hunters. Good, he'd succeeded in annoying them he grinned. He wandered to the exit of the tent, hearing Bianca reciting the Pledge to Artemis.

"Percy, I'll be waiting with the others." He called from over his shoulder, exiting the tent before waiting for an answer. A few moments passed by quite quickly, now feeling a lot warmer as he'd handed the cloak back to them, taking his back as it shimmered once more to his leather jacket. Percy wandered towards them slowly, looking defeated as he sighed, watching as Nico rushed over to his sister, a lengthy discussion on her new choice in life, echoing off the trees around them.

"Artemis said that Apollo will be here in a couple of hours to pick us up and take us and the Hunters to camp," Percy mumbled, a glum expression on his face. He sounded defeated, a look of annoyance crossing his features as he looked to the edge of the cliff, clearly kicking himself for being helpless to help Annabeth.

Arc sighed as he followed his gaze, looking to his brother, "Perce you can't beat yourself up about what happened in the last hour, Annabeth is fine, we will get her back." He began, shaking his head in confusion. "Something happened when I jumped after them, just before they hit the water something pulled them away, just vanishing from in front of me." He sighed. Percy looked at him in shock, amazed how it seemed he'd just read his mind.

"How did you- Did you read my mind?" He wondered, staring in amazement. Arc hummed in answer, looking between them all.

"I'll explain in the car on the way to Camp. As much as I like Apollo, I'd prefer to drive myself than ride on the sun." He sighed, sensing as everyone's confusion deepened. He looked to Nico, sighing as he looked lost, torn between his saviours and his sister.

"Nico, it's completely up to you. You can come with us now to Camp and wait for Bianca to arrive, or you can stay here and go with the Hunters with Apollo." Arc queried softly, understanding the situation all too well. Nico sighed as he looked to him, then to his sister before him, pecking her on the cheek.

"I'll see you there." He whispered, his sister nodding in understanding as she hugged him tightly.

"See you there." She smiled encouragingly, watching him leave. He stepped over to Grover, a nervous breath escaping him, as he stood beside him. Arc smiled lightly to him, only a small hint of emotion shining through as always, as they began walking to his car. He noticed Percy stop from the corner of his eye, turning to see him pick up the Invisibility cap that belonged to his friend laying in the piling snow, beginning to cover the frozen red and green stained snow not too far from the cap. Percy picked it up, waving the snow away before he shoved it in his pocket.

They strolled over to the car, the car protesting as it ignored his command to change to something larger and able to handle the conditions better. Arc muttered to himself as he threw open his door, Grover grumbling to himself from behind him.

"Could have something more Environmentally friendly." He muttered, stepping over to the door.

"It is." He grinned slightly, "It's enchanted. No emissions, no need for fuel, the Mist helps a lot with making the car seem like it acts like any other."

Grover hummed in shock, his mind focusing once more on getting Nico back safely as he climbed into the back, Nico following him.

Percy stood gawking at the car, his eyes looking to the driver and owner of the car.

"You?!" Percy yelled. Arc rolled his eyes, rubbing his face tiredly as the events of the day finally crept up on him, he needed sugar to replenish his energy loss.

"Just get in the car, I'm shattered. I will explain everything and all will be clear." He moaned. The constant repetition of the same answer starting to annoy him. He watched as Percy climbed in warily, as he pulled the seat back with him, Thalia stepping into the passenger seat.

"So." He began, turning the car around once everyone was strapped in. "I am a Son of Poseidon and your actual brother," Arc stated, looking in the rearview mirror as he started down the dirt trail. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as Percy opened his mouth, his expression morphing to annoyed disbelief.

"This is not a joke in any way, I've already told Chiron and Mr D this story, so they will confirm it as the truth, if not ask Poseidon himself. He and I are in a rocky relationship." He continued, driving towards the beachfront. "We were separated at birth, I was born a few minutes before you, but there was a heavy layer of Mist covering me that no-one could see or hear me so Poseidon had to intervene. My childhood was rough, to put it in kinder words. I was raised in a Camp in London, away from everything happening over here, hence the accent." He grinned.

"But, why didn't Poseidon tell me?" Percy wondered, his expression hurt.

"I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with the Prophecy, or because we aren't meant to be alive. Who knows, the gods work in mysterious ways." He sighed, as he got closer to the beach, driving down a dirt path towards the sand.

"So you're the one that has been following me all this time, making me think I was going crazy?" Percy scowled, Arc having the decency to look apologetic.

"Yeah, sorry about that. In a way, I was trying to look out for you all." Arc began, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly realising how much of a stalker it made him seem. "That crossbow bolt in the giant's mouth in Miami, that was me, the Mustang sightings outside your house and at the beach, me again. I was told to stay away from you all by Poseidon but." He shrugged, speeding towards the Sea. "I needed to see you for myself, it was just weird knowing who you were but never actually meeting or knowing you properly."

The people in the car never realised the view beside them, too engrossed at the tale they were hearing. He drove over the sea, feeling the waves bend under the wheels forming a road of sorts, seeing the wake in the rearview mirror like a boat creates, as the water crashed to the sea once more.

"So growing up, I was taken to Olympus by Poseidon. He sent me to see Hecate to see if she could help me with using the Mist around me, which she did." He smiled, his foot to the floor as he sped towards camp. "She taught me a lot of useful things with the Mist. Due to the amount around me, it allowed me to use it to read minds, talk to people in their heads, wipe their minds of events or something I don't want them remembering. I don't tend to do that one often because it drains me a lot and I then sleep for the next day." He explained to their shocked faces.

"Have you done that?" Thalia wondered, looking to him beside her.

"I have yeah, I had to do it over the years, much to my regret. It caused a lot of problems." He sighed, referring to the first and last time she met him all those years ago, practically causing her death.

"But carrying on, I can alter my appearance which comes in handy for driving, I'm fourteen. I'm not exactly meant to be driving, so I make myself look older to those around me when I'm in a car." He shrugged, swerving slightly around a Bouy in the sea.

"Can you slow down, you're going to kill us!" Grover whined. He looked to the rearview mirror, seeing him with his eyes closed tight, as he chewed on his shirt.

"We'll be fine. This machine," He began, patting the box on the centre console above the CD player, "Is what controls the ins and outs of this car, nothing can harm it in road mode. There are tons of presets on the box though, but the main ones I use are, Road, Race and Rally." He smiled, seeing land coming up ahead. He started turning left to go around the land, as he continued. "Plus, considering our speed, I take it you haven't looked out of the window in a while? I may like racing in my spare time but I'm a safe driver on the road. However, we aren't on the road." He finished, grinning at the gasps from them all.

"How long have we been driving over the sea!" Nico stated, smiling excitedly.

"A while now, really I'm surprised none of you noticed me drive onto the beach." He smiled, shaking his head. "But as I was saying, the two last things I can do with the Mist is shroud myself to those around me. It works in two parts, halfway it will shroud my scent, hence why you couldn't sense anything from me on the cliff. On full, it will shroud me entirely, making me unseen, much like what happened when I startled you when I appeared from nowhere. There's a lot of stuff that comes out of the Mist. The more I use it, the more stuff I find I can do with it." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You sound overpowered, your not a god are you?" Nico wondered, a gleam in his eyes. Arc laughed lightly, braking slightly to avoid some rocks he was heading towards.

"I don't think so. I hope not anyway." Arc smiled, shaking his head.

"And the other?" Percy wondered coming out of his daze, slowly warming up to him.

"Well, that is something call Mist Travel. It allows me to go anywhere I want, within reason and if I know specifically where I want to go and what it looks like. It comes in handy, much like the previous thing," He began, turning the CD player down, Fuel by Metallica coming through the speakers quite loud. "But this one drains me of a lot of power when used. I've gotten better at it over the years, but if I was to take any more than three people with me, that includes myself, I could die." He finished, nodding along to the fast-paced song.

"Why do the Hunters seem like they hate you more than males in general?" Thalia wondered after a while, seeing the sun rising slowly on the horizon.

"Ah, well that is partly to do with him." Arc grinned, pointing to the orange line on the horizon. "He sensed a little mischief in me growing up when I accidentally Travelled into his Palace. He wanted me to go and annoy Artemis, kill her sacred animal and he'd reward me. I did, he rewarded me with medical training. I'm nothing like a kid of his, but I can hold my own, I know what I'm doing." He mused, glancing down to the glove box.

"Thalia, can you do me a favour? Can you open the glove box and find the ELO mix for me please." He smiled kindly, taking out the CD from the player as he continued. "Thank you. So yeah, I killed her sacred animal and for whatever reason, they took it as a huge deal to them, no idea why because it returned the next day, but she ended up ordering the Hunters to capture me I hoped, not kill. Shot Zoë in the leg with my crossbow and made a few enemies for life. I did leave medical supplies behind me, but they still hunted me down regardless and caught me eventually." He sighed.

"Then there's Ares. He helped me with hand to hand combat, Hephaestus helped me with forging weapons and stuff in general, that box being one of them." He explained nodding to the bronze box on the dash, 'Livin Thing' Playing through the speakers around them.

"This is a bit of a change in music," Grover stated. Arc smiled, nodding as he mouthed the words to the song.

"Well, I like the classics. I was brought up on a whole variety of music by my parental figures." He explained, the journey feeling like it was dragging on, only half an hour passing by. "So yeah, that about concludes my life growing up I suppose. I do a bit of motorsport on the side here and there when I get the time." He smiled, nodding to the song once more. "It'll probably take another half an hour to get to Camp if you want to sleep you can." All was quiet in the car as the sight of Thalia's Tree grew in the distance, only a spec but was still visible. The sound of snoring was heard around him as he turned down the music slightly, the sound of their even breaths and occasion snore making him drowsy.

"So when I bumped into you in the Gas station, I did see your face from somewhere?" Thalia wondered, startling him from his daydream.

"Uh, probably, I'm not sure. It was a while ago since I was last in the news, a few years back now." He lied. He didn't want to reveal too much information to them all, all at once. He didn't know for sure and he certainly didn't want to test it, but he feared about frying each of their brains if he told them everything all in one go, reminding them of everything he'd wiped.

Thalia sat quietly once more, nodding along to the song playing through the speakers beside her, a smile growing on her lips as he eyed her briefly, shooting her a questioning expression. 'Last Train to London' coming to an end as it played through the speakers softly.

"You really have a strange taste in Music," She laughed lightly, almost teasingly as her eyes closed, getting some rest. He chuckled to himself, beginning to sing-along quietly to the next song, 'Turn to Stone' as he saw the tree a lot clearer on the horizon, closing in quickly to the Camp.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - New Arrivals

He peeled onto the shore of the beach an hour later, slowing down his drive a little to allow them some more time to sleep, the Sun peeking over the Horizon. He blipped the throttle as he touched the sand, the wheels trying to find purchase on the loose surface beneath them.

"You gotta slow down, sweet talkin' woman. You got me runnin', you got me searchin," He sang quietly along with the song, making his way over the road, entering the forest in front of him, shimmering into the realm of Camp Half-Blood.

"Nice singing," Thalia smirked, watching his reddening face, blipping the loud V8 as they drove past the Lake and subsequently the Cabins.

"Trying to give me a heart attack." He breathed, clutching his chest. She laughed lightly, looking out the window as they passed the Cabins, making their way to the Big House. He looked to the clock, noting the time, Five to Five in the morning.

"In all seriousness though, you're not too bad. Did Apollo give you vocal training with the healing stuff too?" Thalia wondered in a slightly teasing tone. He shrugged as he grinned, pulling up outside the Big House. He woke the others in the back as he switched off the engine, the grumbling idle V8 silencing, the ticking of the engine and engine bay cooling, taking over the silence.

As he and Thalia stepped out of the car, pulling their seats forward there was a flash in the sky, followed by a streak of fire heading towards the camp. They all watched as Arc and Percy combined raised the water in the Lake making a landing platform for the fireball to land on. Nico stood in shock as he rubbed his eyes thinking he was imagining the whole scene, staring up at the two brothers.

"There you go," Arc grinned, bumping his shoulder into Percy's. "Some more proof if you were doubting still." He finished. Percy looked over him, noting the similarities the two had, same eyes and nose from Poseidon, mixed with the same facial structure belonging to their mother.

Percy brought him into a hug, surprising him as he patted his back, the pair pulling back as they laughed.

"Yeah, I can see it now. You're nearly a spitting image of me and mom, just a few differences that you clearly take from Poseidon." Percy laughed lightly, as they made their way over to the lake, the others in tow.

They stood on the pier, Arc resisting the urge to drop them all into the Lake. Apollo stepped onto the pier, looking to everyone before him a wicked grin on his face as he looked to them all. His teeth were so white and gleaming, you could tell he was the god of the Sun. His eyes lit up as they landed on Arc, stepping forward as he shook his hand.

"Arc, good to see you again, you have grown up so much from the last time I saw you." Apollo smiled, the mischievous glint returning to his eyes as he recalled their first encounter.

"Hey Apollo, thanks for bringing The Hunters, I couldn't have lasted five minutes taking them here." Arc grinned. "And yes, seven years fly by for you gods, but they dragged on for me. It's good to see you too, man."  
The four stood behind him, mouths agape, baffled at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Oh yeah, where are my manners, Apollo these are-" he was about to introduce them. Realising how much of a stupid idea that was, because he was the god of Prophecy, he already knew them.

"Percy Jackson, your brother, Grover Underwood the Satyr, Protector and Searcher, Nico Di Angelo, cant see his path yet. And. My, my Thalia Grace Daughter of Zeus, good to have you back. I hated the fact you became a tree." Through the corner of his eye, Arc could see a blush blooming on Thalia's face. He felt something bubbling inside but quenched it instantly. Was he seriously getting Jealous!?

He glared at the Lieutenant, descending onto the pier, as he tuned out the conversation with Apollo. He glared at her, the two staring daggers at each other.

"Now, now children. I can feel the really harsh energy rolling off the two of you, kiss and make-up already." Apollo laughed teasingly, watching the two's faces turn bright red. "Right, I'm off. I'll see you around." He grinned, his teeth shining once more. "Don't look at me as I leave unless you want to be blind." He called over his shoulder, everyone present looking away. The heat they felt would've been enough to give them a tan in seconds, as the god of the Sun shimmered taking on his godly form, the platform of water below him beginning to sizzle and evaporate at the heat. In an instant he was gone, a streak in the sky as he shot off, taking his place above.

"Wow." Thalia sighed, looking into the sky, everyone surprised to hear how dreamy it sounded. Arc resisted the urge to roll his eyes and released what was left of the water, landing in the Lake with a hiss, as the hot steamy water hit the cold.

He was lost in his thoughts, trying to quench the rising emotions bubbling inside of him, something that hadn't been a part of him in a long time, ignoring Grover as he offered to take the Hunters to their cabin, not taking no for an answer. The remaining four walked back to the Big house in silence, noticing most of the campers were out of their cabins looking around at what all the noise and commotion was about.

A few wandered around outside the big house, looking at the Mustang parked up, looks of confusion and hushed murmurs spreading through those milling around. Others were walking to the arena, possibly to train, or just to hang around on a winters day.

There weren't many campers dotted around camp. He scanned the surroundings and counted at least twenty roaming and possibly more in their cabins.

"Some aren't so noticeable, some more than others." Percy began, looking to Arc's questioning stares. "Some can go back home, if they have one, after Summer. Go to school, be with friends outside of Camp. But others, they stay year-round if they don't have anywhere to go, or their scent is too powerful. Annabeth, she's a year-rounder, but as of late she's been slowly warming back up to the idea of seeing her family." Percy sighed, a wave of sadness washing over him.

"What about you then, being the son of Poseidon and all, do you stay year-round?" Arc wondered, trying to distract Percy from his thoughts. He shook his head, looking up to his brother as they stopped in front of his car.

"I live with my mum and used to live with my stepfather, I called him smelly Gabe because he always smelt like a sewer. But my mother left him and I live with her and go to school until the summer season for camp." He explained.

"Must be nice being able to go to school, Rachel and Terry, the ones that were essentially my parents growing up, taught me the basics at my Camp. I never got the choice to live a normal life and go to school." He explained a hint of genuine sadness in his voice.

"Oh trust me, school is overrated for a demigod, they were doing you a favour," Thalia explained, biting into an apple she'd produced from her jacket pocket. She startled them all. She was so quiet that everyone had forgotten she was walking with them, just the sound of an apple being bitten into every so often. Nico fidgetted on the spot, glancing to the Demigods around him, uncomfortable on the topic of school. He was just saved along with his sister from a Manticore attack.

"Yeah, believe me when I say this, but I have been kicked out from five different schools. You got it easy." Percy stated, looking at his brother with envy. Arc sighed, nodding in answer, saying no more on the topic, realising the discomfort for Nico.

Arc stood below by his car, watching as the others ascended the porch steps. He turned on the ignition, the car's V8 grumbling to life as he peeled away slowly, making his way over to the Cabins, avoiding Campers as he went. He parked up the car outside in the middle of the courtyard, yanking up the handbrake before he stepped out. He opened the bonnet, looking around inside at the parts he could change, Campers roaming around him, whispering about this new arrival.

He closed the bonnet, making a mental note on the things he could change once he'd returned, making his way back over to the Big House, locking the car before he left.

"-love it if every camper here disappeared or dropped dead wouldn't you?!" He heard as he got closer, watching as Percy's temper started to flare. "You were sent here to be punished and to be taught a lesson, you are here to look after us not to play cards and read a stupid wine magazine day in day out! This isn't your punishment, this is ours!" Percy cried. Arc stood beside Thalia, leaning on the railing like he'd been present the whole time, watching the situation unfold. Mr D looked up from the cards in his hands, glancing to him briefly before his brother, a smile growing on his face as he looked Percy dead in the eyes

"Perry Johnson, It would help a lot if you all did that, but I don't like to report on the events to Zeus. Too much paperwork. But turning the god of the seas son into a Dolphin, well that's a whole different story." Mr D grinned, a flash of panic crossing Percy's face.

"Your Chiron the Centaur, the one who trained Hercules!" Nico gasped pointing to Chiron, excitement shimmering in his eyes.

"Yes, but I prefer to stay in my wheelchair for first encounters if that's okay," Chiron said forcing a smile on his face.

"And you! You're the Wine Dude!" Nico said still pointing his finger, now at Mr D. Arc let lose a small laugh, watching as Mr D looked down to him in surprise, forgetting his plan for Percy in an instant.

"The wine dude?" Mr D blinked. He looked down to Nico, a stern and somewhat surprised look on his face. Nico nodded his head vigorously up at the god, Arc finding the interaction amusing.

"Yeah, Dionysus, you have four hundred attack points two hundred more if you attack first!" Nico exclaimed, grinning wide. Mr D blinked once more, lost for words as he stared down at the young Demigod before him

" I beg your pardon?" Nico practically threw his backpack off of his back, rooting around inside before revealing his action figures and cards, beginning to explain a game called Mythomagic, telling Mr D about the game and how to play. Chiron stared stunned at the distraction before him as he looked to Percy, a stern expression on his face.

"Percy, why don't you Thalia and Arc go around to all the cabins and tell them about Capture the Flag tonight after dinner, Camp VS Hunters." Chiron smiled, a pointed look to them all.

As Thalia and Percy started down the stairs, he rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly while approaching Chiron.

"Uh Chiron, is it okay if I skip out on Capture the Flag, for well, forever?" Chiron looked quite puzzled on the question Arc presented.

"What on earth for?" Thalia and Percy looked back to where he was talking with Chiron.

"Well, for a start I don't have a sword, and any sword I craft or get given feels so wrong in my hands. Riptide, for example, felt extremely off in my hands. Plus I prefer to do hand to hand combat and as much as I hate the Hunters I'm not hitting a girl, or shooting them either." Arc explained, turning one of the rings into a knuckle dusters and the other the Desert Eagle from earlier. Chiron slowly nodded his head in agreement, humming in thought.

"Yes, I can see why that would be a big problem. Very well, if you are as good as a child of Apollo, you can prove your skill by being medic alongside myself." Chiron smiled at him.

Arc nodded and smiled, a genuine smile that had been creeping out onto his face, ever since meeting his brother for the first time, properly this time. He was happy to accept the new role to play and bounced down the steps to join his two new friends as they began walking to the cabins, ready for a tour.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Touring"Percy, you really can't go around angering gods all the time! You've already got Ares on your case, you don't need Dionysus too." Thalia reasoned, shaking her head. The three of them were making their way over to the cabins, doing what they were told before the day fully began.

"I know, I know," Percy muttered, shaking his head in a huff. "It's just, she didn't deserve it. It's my fault that she's missing and I just. It should have been me." He sighed in defeat. Arc sighed as he glanced to Thalia, sensing the sadness emitting from his brother.

"Perce. It's not your fault. If anything its mine. If my stupid feud with Zoë didn't get in the way, I could've been quicker in my actions." He lamented, kicking a stone that was in his path. "But as I said before, she's fine in a sense. We will get her back." Arc stated, looking to the two, putting their fears to rest.

"Can't you find her through the Mist?" Thalia wondered, eying him as they walked, side by side. He shook his head, looking up at the early morning sun, a complete opposite look as to what was happening outside the Camps border.

"That is usually what I do with the Mist, but it's like somethings shrouding her from my sight. I know she's doing okay, I can the Mist surrounding her, but it's too much for me to look through." He sighed, shaking his head, feeling just as useless.

They stopped and frowned towards the Courts, hearing a commotion from the Basketball court. They spotted a Child of Ares right up in a Hunter's face, her hands shoving the Hunter, the arguing growing louder in the early morning.

"Great just what I need this morning. I'll go sort them out, you two go on ahead." Thalia grumbled as she began walking forward away from the two brothers.

"Thalia I-I'm sorry. You were right, I should have waited for you guys back in Maine." Percy struggled, trying to find the right words. She looked over her shoulder, a mischievous grin on her lips as she began walking backwards, grinning to the two.

"Don't worry about it Percy, I would have done the same thing." She finished as she turned running to the court, the fight between the two beginning to escalate.

"Hey, hey hey. Break it up!" They heard from behind, carrying on their walk just as she began swearing to the two in Ancient Greek, a habit picked up from Annabeth, he guessed.

"So how come you can't use bladed weapons?" Percy wondered as they walked along the row of cabins, coming to the first occupied one, passing Arc's car along the way.

"Dunno, for whatever reason, bladed weapons in my hand just feel too heavy. I took a shining to hand to hand when Poseidon gifted me the Dusters. I suppose I was just relieved that I no longer had to cower behind others and could actually defend myself in some way. But when I ended up seeing Hephaestus every so often, he made me a few ranged weapons, starting with a crossbow. The pistols came later, I don't think he trusted me as much as he does now with those kinds of weapons." Arc grinned shaking his head.

"Hey, we have the Hunters staying with us so Chiron's organizing capture the flag for tonight." Percy finished, the door slamming in his face. "I honestly don't know what I expected from Ares Cabin." he sighed, shaking his head.

They continued walking to the next cabins informing each one they came by, before going on a tour of camp.

"So this, is the Dining Hall, we'll probably be called in for Breakfast here soon," Percy mentioned, looking to the sun above. "The food is amazing, nothing you'd expect from a camping scenario, but that's because it's all made by the nature spirits. You get the best cuts of meat, juiciest fruit, it's amazing." Percy grinned, looking to the Pavillion. "Of course though, the best parts get offered to the gods," Percy added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, that's the same as it is at my camp," Arc commented absentmindedly, looking around at the small seating area. They continued on, making their way to the Amphitheatre.

"This is the Ampi-something or other." Percy began. "I can never remember how to spell it, let alone say it." He muttered shaking his head.

"Amphitheatre." Arc smiled.

"Yeah, that." Percy grinned. "It's basically where we do the Campfire of a night before we all turn in for bed, it's just a place for us all to unwind of an evening after doing training and chores all day." He explained, Arc nodding his head as he looked around at the relatively open space, seeing a few Campers that were clearly Aphrodite's kids talking towards the back on the seats.

"This is the Training Arena." Percy smiled, watching the few Campers sparring with one another, or practising on dummies. "I would say maybe we should have a spar, but you can't deal with bladed weapons." Percy teased, surprising his brother.

"Well, I'm alright with daggers, I just don't like using them, if I want to get in close I'll use my shield in my right and a duster on the left." He defended, a small smile on his face. "Plus, I'd kick your butt and you know it if we went all-out fisticuffs." Arc laughed, shaking his head. "Where to next?" He wondered, following his brother.

"The climbing wall." Percy grinned. They walked a short distance, Arcs mouth dropping as he stared up at the tower before him, watching as lava dripped from the sides, debris falling in places.

"Just. Why? That just doesn't look necessary in the slightest." Arc stated, staring up at the Camper making their ascent as a spotter stood at the base. Percy laughed as he looked to his expression, following his gaze.

"Yeah, it seems excessive and stupid. I thought the same when I first saw it, but to be fair, it's surprised me how much it actually helps. If you're in a life or death situation and it involves climbing, you'll thank the Climbing Wall." Percy smiled.

"But lava? It's so out of place." He stressed, his arms flailing. Percy laughed, dragging him away from the Climbing Wall, making their way to their Cabin, the small squat greystone building covered in Sea and water-related trinkets and decorations.

"And this is our Cabin." Percy led the way in, stood in the doorway as he let his brother look around. The room was quiet besides the small fountain on the wall by the door, the room slightly dark. Bunk beds were surprisingly present in the Cabin, despite Poseidon's oath to father no children he broke. It was quite quaint, however, reminiscent of his Cabin in London.

"It's near on identical to mine in London," Arc stated, voicing his thoughts. "Although, for someone that isn't meant to bear any children, why bunks?" Arc wondered, turning on the spot, staring at his brother in the doorway.

"No idea, again I thought much the same as you when I first arrived. Except you're taking it better than I did because you've known about all of this since you could talk." Percy mused, walking into the Cabin. "You can have any choice of bed but mine, I've got to go and meet with Thalia and Grover, I need to have a chat about some chores before Breakfast. I'll leave you to settle in." He smiled, jogging through the open door, heading back to the Big House.

He stood in the middle of the room, looking to the bed closest to him. He didn't have anything, throwing himself onto the bed, his eyes closing for a spell, trying to catch up on a small amount of sleep. He didn't feel like he'd slept for very long, probably about an hour, as he was awoken abruptly from the sound of a Conch horn, a signal for breakfast he assumed.

He stretched as he stood, yawning as he peered around the room before stepping out, closing the door behind him. He pulled open the car door, sliding in as he turned the key in the ignition, avoiding the Campers around him heading for breakfast as he parked it in the Amphitheatre, taking care to not leave any tyre marks on the cobbled ground leading in. He stepped out, slamming the door as he locked it, rushing over to the Dining Hall, smiling to his brother as he entered.

He perched himself in front of Percy, Grover beside him as looked to the two ignoring the murmurs from the campers around him. He stood with them as they made their way over to the Brazier, platters in hand. They both offered the best cuts to their father and respected god, rather begrudgingly for Arc as the rocky relationship between him and his father was still a sour one.

"This is an interesting seating arrangement," Arc stated, looking to the tables, each Camper looking to him in shock.

"What d'ya mean?" Percy wondered, looking around to the tables, a frown on his face as he'd grown used to the style.

"Well it's just a little harsh don't you think? You've got tables filled to the brim with people like Hermes and then others like Thalia, just sat on her own, no one around her." Arc frowned, picking at the fruit on his plate, biting into a strawberry.

"Yeah, I suppose. I see what you mean. But in the same way, it might end up the same way if you were allowed to sit with friends, yes we all get along with each other, but some tolerate each other more than others." Percy defended. Arc nodded in thought, seeing the logic.

"Yeah, I suppose." Arc sighed, glancing to Thalia, a soft smile on both their faces as they caught each other's eye.

"What was it like at your camp?" Grover wondered, biting into a strawberry himself, nearly taking the end of the fork with it.

"We sat around a large circular table, individual braziers in front of us. Although, the meals there weren't as good as this." Arc grinned, munching on a tender piece of chicken.

"Campers!" Chiron called, quieting the Camp around him. "As you might have noticed, we have the Hunters here today. As of tonight, we will be holding our annual Camp versus Hunters." He smiled, the Ares cabin cheering from behind him. "We also have some news regarding Campers. We have with us two new campers and one that is missing." Chiron sighed, looking to the empty area beside one of her brothers at their table.

"We will not stop in our efforts in trying to retrieve her, by any means," Chiron stated, looking to the camp. "But, back to the two new campers." He smiled as the mood-lifted, the murmuring from the Campers around eying him at Poseidon's table. "We have with us, Nico D'Angelo who is unclaimed at this point in time. He arrived this morning, accompanied by Grover Underwood, Thalia Grace and Perseus Jackson. The night before, and this morning helping them arrive back safely, Arcmelos. Son of Poseidon." He finished, the Camps murmuring ceasing as they stared in silence,

"Uhm, hi?" He smiled, wiping the juice of a strawberry from his chin. Brilliant first impression, he sighed.

"Why don't you tell the camp about yourself?" Chiron wondered, eying the others.

"Well, there's not really much to say. I'm Percy's actual brother, separated at birth by Poseidon. I currently can't stand him at this moment in time with how he raised me and have recently made my way here to find Percy." He shrugged, playing with a strawberry on his platter.

The camp sat in silence as he looked to them, rolling his eyes slightly as he turned.

"So why are you and Poseidon on bad terms? Not showing you any love and favouritism, like Percy?" Clarisse cackled, her cabin joining in.

"Clarisse." Chiron barked, a stern expression on his face.

"Actually no, the complete opposite. I would've loved that. Try pushing me to the brink of death on multiple occasions while I was six. Then when I came back from training with Ares in fighting, another incredibly long story, Poseidon then resented me, shunning me and my training with him became worse. He turned me into a shell of my former self, I used to have so much bubbling energy inside of me, smiled all the time, laughed all the time. I used to be an incredibly happy child. Now, I'm like a robot, a puppet if you will." He finished, not even batting an eye at the attempt she tried to embarrass him with, ignoring the rising pain surging through his neck from Poseidon.

The breakfast was called off early, watching as Campers went around discussing his life story, the shortened version of it, overhearing the Aphrodite Cabin beginning their rumour mill already. He looked to Percy, his face sympathetic as he shrugged him off. He couldn't care in the slightest, that's why Poseidon whipped emotions out of him. He saw Thalia stepping over to them, a sad smile on her face as he returned it half-heartedly, walking beside the two.

"Hey Thalia, do you wanna captain the camp at Capture the Flag tonight?" Percy wondered, looking to her. She looked to him in shock, her eyes flickering to him.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, I mean I'm flattered and all but you have been here longer than me and I haven't played capture the flag before." She reasoned, rubbing her arm.

"Why don't you just co-captain?" Arc stated absentminded, his mind elsewhere as he thought about his car.

"True." Percy smiled, looking to Thalia who nodded. "We're going to go and get everything set up in that case, I'll see you at lunch?" Percy questioned. Arc hummed, watching them leave as he stepped into the Amphitheatre, his car looking menacing in the sunlight.

He threw open the boot of his car, chucking his jacket into the back as he pulled out the jack from the back, ignoring the looks from others around him as always. He slid the stands underneath each axle, extending them to be the tallest setting. He pulled open the door, leaning inside as he turned on the ignition a notch, the CD player kicking to life, ELO blaring from the speakers beside him.

He pulled his tools from his bottomless pit of a boot, closing it before he placed everything by the first wheel. He unwound the nuts one by one, humming along to each song as he placed the wheel beside him, running his finger on the inside of the dirty wheel arch. He changed the socket, undoing the bolts on the back of the plates as he slid off each one in their entirety, draining the fluid along the way.

He could sense people watching him, ignoring their blatant mumbling about him behind his back, too engrossed in what he was doing. He stood, pulling a box of performance brakes from the boot, placing the old one in its place when he'd replaced them. For the job, it was going quick. A few hours passed as he began putting the final wheel back in place, tightening the nuts to the specific torque requirement. He ignored the Conch horn, hearing the Campers behind him leave as he climbed into the car. He began pumping the brakes, removing any trapped air from inside the system, feeling the pedal get more resistant each time before he stopped.

Of course, all of this, however, wasn't necessary. The car was enchanted to stay in perfect condition no matter what, but he replaced parts for better components none the less, the task helping him think and relax.

He was in his zone, as he hummed along to the music once more, beginning to lightly sing along once more, Thalia springing to mind.

He slid under the car on his back, using his elbows to crawl under as he ignored the pain of the cobble on his back. He released the oil in the tank, the old oil dripping into a pan as he looked at the murky colour. He waited for a few minutes before tightening the cap once more, crawling out from under the car, the oil-filled pan disappearing through the Mist as if it never existed in the first place.

He ran his hand over the engine block, as he examined the engine bay, deciding on replacing the Turbo. He happily pulled a new turbo from the back of his car, everything he needed from inside before making his way around the front of the car, unmounting the old Turbo and exhaust manifold. He replaced the manifold with a new one, running his hand along the shining metal. He bolted the new turbo in place, placing on a new oil drain pipe on with it, the others disappearing in the Mist like the oil.

He began feeding new oil into the turbo as he rotated the rotor assembly, making sure the bearing was thoroughly lubricated, protecting them from damage. He finished up by placing everything he'd removed with newer parts, ignoring the person stood beside him, watching his every move as he fitted the turbo hose, finishing up on everything. He sensed through the Mist, Thalia stood beside him, watching as he poured a new bottle of performance oil into the engine, screwing the cap back on top.

"Can I help you with anything?" He wondered, examining the engine. She hummed as she came out of her daze, looking to him with her Dark Electric blue eyes.

"Oh, no. I was just wondering where you were, we've been looking for you is all. You didn't come to lunch." She stated, watching as he cleaned his hand, to the best of his ability with an already oil-stained rag.

"Yeah, sorry. I got lost in my work. It helps me think." He sighed, looking to the car once more. He made his way to the door, stepping in as he switched on the ignition, the car firing to life. He let it run for a while, the loud idle grumble in the background overpowering the music.

"It's coming up for dinner soon, you might want to wash up if you want to eat." She smiled, her smile sending his heart into a flutter. He really couldn't believe he had, has, a crush on her. Ever since they met all those years ago, he would say he fell instantly, but bearing in mind he was seven at the time, he didn't understand that concept in life yet. He realised later on in life when he'd heard she was alive once more, realising what he felt for her. But by then it was too late, he was already a walking shell by then,

"Yeah, I just needed to change the spark plugs then that's it." He breathed, nodding his head. "I'll see you at dinner he smiled." He thought he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face before he turned before he heard her answer.

"Okay, yeah that's fine. See you then." She smiled, sensing it to be a bit of a sad smile.

"Wait." He sighed, turning to look at her. "I'm sorry if I seem cold and unapproachable, it's just in my nature. Now that I've met you and Percy, and everyone, I hope that my emotions will slowly make its way through." He smiled. "Just don't be too afraid to come and talk to me if you ever need anything." He finished, watching a grin spread on her face, a reddish hue dusting her cheeks.

"I will. See you later." She smiled, the sight lifting his spirits. He turned once more, replacing the spark plugs with NGK Racing Competition spark plugs in record time.

He felt a tug in the pit of his stomach, feeling the Mist swirl around the rear of the car forming a Rolling Road. He climbed into the driver's seat, switching the engine on once more, grabbing the laptop from under his seat. He booted it up, loading the tuning software as he plugged in everything that needed to be where it was.

Once the car was tuned, finding an extra hundred and ten horsepower from the new parts he'd added, he finished it all up before placing the laptop back under his seat. He quickly checked over the car once more, seeing if he'd missed anything before he packed it all up. He threw everything into the back of the car once more, slamming the boot shut as he climbed into the driver's seat.

He drove out of the camp, the engine echoing through the forest around him as he pulled out onto the main road, taking it for a spin on the road around Camp. Once he was satisfied with what he'd achieved, he pulled back into Camp, parking up outside of his Cabin. He quickly showered, the water giving him an extra boost in energy. He collapsed onto his bed regardless, falling into a light sleep as he waited for the Conch horn once more for dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - A troubled time

After dinner, he decided to get some more sleep seen as he had been struggling to get some all day, this time being no different.

Demigod dreams were the worst.

He dreamt of a dark cave-like area, one that had something that looked like a jagged rock that was almost touching the ground. Beneath it was a girl, he couldn't make out the details but he heard a struggle before another girl entered the scene. She looked a lot younger than the other girl, from what he could make out anyway. But at the same time, she seemed older, almost wiser in a sense.

She took the weight of this object form the other girl, the object nearly hitting the floor as she struggled under the weight of the object, hearing a pained yell as her arms tensed at the extreme weight. The second girl stood panting before they pulled her away from sight, someone growling for her to move. He caught a flash of blonde from the girl pulled away, realisation striking him at who it was.

The dream then shifted to his camp, smoke rising above the walls surrounding the place, coming from inside. An evil presence laughed in the distance, unaware of this Demigods presence. He watched as an army of corrupted cyclopes stood in an orderly formation, the campers, of what little there was, in attacking formation. His eyes widened at what he saw, seeing his camp being lead by The Son of Hermes and Daughter of Aphrodite. He didn't understand what he was seeing. Was it just a terrible dream or was this happening?

He awoke with a start, sweat dripping down his face as he looked at the time, promising to check up on the camp soon.

"Yes, that is currently the situation back at your camp, but fear not. The campers are winning the battle." Poseidon's voice spoke into his son's mind, putting his fears to rest, a little anyway. He couldn't sit around, he looked down at his watch, seeing that there wasn't a lot of time left until Capture The Flag started. He stretched as he walked out of the squat cabin, making his way to the training area to find everyone.

Arc found his new friends, Thalia and Percy as he went to see if there was anything he could do to help in preparation. About five minutes before the game, the Ares cabin came out with a red banner with a boars head on it, the symbol of Ares. They placed it on a mound of rocks that resembled a fist at a certain angle.

"They call that, Zeus's Fist," Percy whispered to him.

"Why?" He wondered, staring at it at different angles.

"It just looks like a fist coming out of the ground at a certain angle," Percy explained, looking around at the mass of campers gathered.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if it was Hades? I mean he is the god of the Underworld." He reasoned, humming in acknowledgement when he saw the shape.

"True, but I don't think Zeus would approve." Percy grinned, turning to Chiron as he stomped his hoof, gaining the attention of everyone around him.

Chiron shouted out the rules, as he made his way over beside the Centaur, glaring at the Hunters. He hoped it would be a distraction from listening to Chiron, but it didn't seem to work. They were too transfixed on Chiron.

He watched as Thalia flanked right, some other campers went left, leaving the middle open as the game commenced. Percy took this as an opportunity, he watched as his brother sprinted over the boundary line, toward the enemy flag. Watching from the side-lines was boring, but it was something he had to deal with. He grinned at Thalia, hearing the things she was saying about Percy, some pretty hefty stuff in her head when she saw him running off with the flag.

He heard a commotion from the left of him, drawing his attention away from his brother as he had to go help the three on the floor by the rocks. He watched the aftermath, as a big muscular Hunter knocked Nico and the Stoll brothers over the head, all three out cold. He tended to the three, Chiron making his way elsewhere to help others in need. He groaned when he glanced up catching a glimpse of Zoë running with the Camp's flag, seconds away from crossing the boundary line. He was so tempted to trip her with the Mist, but that would be interfering.

He caught a flash of silver, noticing Percy on the other with their silver flag, charging towards her. Unfortunately, he was too slow. The game was over when she crossed the line. He watched and groaned as all the Hunters exploded into cheers realising their victory.

He tried to ignore the colourful language coursing through her head as she stormed headlong towards Percy, her face like thunder. He finished up tending to the Stoll brothers, watching as Chiron picked them up, placing the two on his back to rest.

"The Hunters have won," Chiron announced, hearing the Hunters cheer once more. "for the fifty-fourth time in a row." He grumbled the latter, Arc smiling up at him.

He watched as Nico stood beside him, still looking a bit dazed and rubbing the back of his head as they all watched the scene that was about to unfold, the camp quieting.

"What in Hades name were you doing!" Thalia growled, her temper flaring at his brother. Percy looked shocked at what he'd heard, his eyes flicking to the camp behind them.

"I got the flag Thalia." He said in a tone to make it obvious, "I saw an opening and took it, you were about to be overrun at any moment."

Thalia sparked and pushed Percy, the camp watching and gasping as they saw him spiralling towards the water. He groaned as he rolled to a stop, rolling into the water. She hadn't intended to do that to him, he could sense her thoughts, the shock on what she'd done.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," she said, turning around, her tone sounding sarcastic. Arc cringed at the altercation between the two, sensing it ending badly.

He watched as his brother summoned water from behind him, the creek corresponding with his movements as he thrust his hands to the back of Thalia, soaking her to the bone, launching her beside a tree.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that, either," Percy breathed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He heard an animalist growl from Thalia, watching her stand as her eyes sparkled, the scent of electricity in the air.

"Oh, you wanna throw down seaweed brain!?" They watched as Thalia rose beginning to walk slowly back over to Percy, the air sparking around them all.

"No one and I mean no one. Calls me Seaweed Brain but Annabeth." Percy muttered.

And thus a fight between a child of Poseidon and Zeus broke out.

"Bring it on pine cone face." He summoned waves behind him, Arc sensing the energy pulsating in the water behind his brother. The camp watched as Chiron pleaded to them both as they shot wave after wave, for Percy literally, of water and electricity at each other.

He sighed as he looked to his brother, shaking his head at their stupid spat. He was growing more and more annoyed at every passing moment, hating to see friends fight. Something snapped in him as a wave of electricity crackled a bit too close to himself and the other campers, endangering them.

What happened next was something nobody could've predicted.

Arc disappeared from beside Nico, making him do a double-take when he appeared in between the two powerful demigods, fighting over nothing. The Camp watched in awe as he cut off the water flow from Percy and used The Mist to stop Thalia while she was in the process of making a lightning bolt on her sword. The thundering sound of an engine being heard in the distance.

He knew that he was glowing, surprising both Percy and Thalia, glowing with the gift of Poseidon. The Ares side of him had come out to play. He disturbingly used their elements against them, thrusting both hands towards the pair, sending them several metres away from each other. They landed with a thud as they both rolled across the floor into trees. His temper finally snapped, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"YOU ARE BOTH THE MOST POWERFUL DEMIGODS IN EXISTENCE, CHILDREN OF TWO OF THE BIG THREE. GROW UP AND ACT LIKE IT!" There was the sound of a V8 in the distance, the sound slowly distorting into a V10 engine of a Dodge Viper, thundering towards the shocked crowd of Halfbloods. Chiron, the campers and The Hunters all backed away slowly, for once seeing the fear in their eyes.

"Arc, calm down." Chiron tried, looking to the Demigod pleadingly. He glanced down noticing the intense sea green aura that was bubbling with flecks of red, something that only truly happened when he was angry, a side of him that only Ares had seen until now.

He willed himself to calm down as the thundering engine came barrelling through the wooded area, scaring off monsters that were getting a bit too close, ready to strike. Parking up beside the Demigod. A Black and red striped Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR a menacing looking machine.

"For goodness sake, I hate it when the stupid thing does this," Arc grumbled as he marched around the back of the car. He watched without interest as Thalia and Percy came out of their dazed stupor, staring at him in disbelief. They all watched as he pushed the logo on the back, watching the car morph into a keyring on the set of car keys.

"That's your car? But you brought us here in a Mustang." Percy wondered, the fight with Thalia almost forgotten. He sighed, tired of the situation and the Ares side of him. If it doesn't do anything it drains a lot of strength from him, feeding off of the little strength he already had.

"I installed something on the car that makes it turn into any other vehicle I want, by thinking of the car. It also goes by emotion, whenever I get angry that one happens, and for some reason, it likes to get a mind of its own and demands to come and find me. If I want I can also switch it between Race, offroad or road." Arc stated, his tone fed up.

Thalia came out of her daze staring up at him, a hurt expression coming over her face. They watched as she stormed towards the camp through the forest. At that point, something else that was very peculiar happened. Something was running around in the forest to the left of them.

He spotted the creature first, changing his ring to gun form, raising the Desert Eagle in a ready defensive position waiting for it to come close, to determine friend or foe. The campers saw where he was looking, immediately taking up arms. The only one who wasn't fazed by this was Chiron who edged forwards towards the thing.

"It can't be, she never leaves the attic!" Chiron exclaimed.

It emerged into the clearing and they all saw it was a woman, but she was dead. She looked mummified. She went over to Zoë spewing green smoke, a ghostly whispy voice projecting to her.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach seeker, and ask."

Zoë stepped forward looking to her Hunters beside her.

"How can I save Artemis." Confused murmurs broke out throughout the campers present, besides the Hunters who seemed to be within the loop of this situation presented. The oracle gave Zoë a Prophecy:

"Five shall go west to the goddess in chains One shall be lost in the land without rain The bane of Olympus shows the trail Campers and Hunters combined prevail The Titan's curse one must withstand And one shall perish by parent's hand." When the oracle said her part she sat down on a tree stump entering her death-like state once more.

The two sons of Poseidon helped Grover take the spirit of Delphi back to the attic. They had already mended their relationship, understanding that if that fight had carried on any longer one of them could've been hurt, more than what they already were, or worse.

"Watch her head on the-" Grover said, being cut short as Percy knocked her head against the trap door with a loud thud. Too late. Thankfully she was intact, They placed her back on top of the table, laying her back into the way that Percy had first seen her. As he closed the trapdoor behind them, Thalia came up the stairs refusing to look in his direction let alone Percy's.

"Grover can you tell Percy he is needed in the Rec Room for a head counsellors meeting." Thalia sensed his gaze, finally meeting his eyes, seeing the sorrow inside them. Grover sighed, ready to repeat the message but Percy just nodded his head and grunted.

"Arc, you should come too," Thalia said looking up at him, sensing that it was a different side of him that was the cause of the incident earlier, sensing that he was truly sorry for what had happened.

"But, I'm not a head counsellor." He responded looking miffed.

"Well as much as I hate to agree with Thalia at this time, it makes sense seen as it's just me and you in that cabin. Not much point in relaying information to just one other person." Percy reasoned. Grover walked on down, not interested in getting in between another fight that was potentially going to break out. Thalia walked down the stairs following the Satyr until she heard a voice in her head.

"Wait on the landing, I need to talk to you." Percy walked past Thalia, giving her a sideways glance, as he headed down to the Rec Room.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what I did out there as I failed to mention that side of me that Ares discovered. He trained me to channel my anger to the Gift of Poseidon, and in doing so that happens, I become almost invulnerable, just running off of anger." He sighed, shaking his head. "That side of me rarely gets out and when it does it's never pretty. So again I'm sorry about it-" She cut him off by laughing lightly, hugging him briefly.

"I know, I get it." She pulled away to look up at him with her electric blue eyes, staring softly up at him. "If you hadn't of intervened we would have torn each other apart leaving a big mess to clean up. Now come on your needed down there, Co-counselor." She grinned, walking down the stairs leaving him speechless on what just happened. He shook his head, getting out of the stupor and followed her down.

**Hope you are all enjoying the story, follow favourite and reviews are greatly appreciated! See you in the next one! **


	10. Chapter 10

**_I do not own the rights to the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series, If I did I would be very rich, this story is just for fun._**

Chapter 10 - The quest

He followed Thalia into the room, the Counsellors present turning to him, each of them stiffening in their seats.

"What's he doing here?" Clarisse dared to ask. He sighed as he shook his head, looking blankly to the Daughter of Ares.

"It's just me and Percy in that Cabin, what's the point in sitting out when I can just be here and listen to the meeting?" He wondered, catching a flicker of annoyance from the present Hunter.

"No, I want you gone. I don't want you apart of this discussion." Zoë spat, looking up at him. He rolled his eyes as he sat in between Percy and Thalia becoming a barrier between the two.

"Tough, my camp not yours." He smiled mockingly, just as Chiron appeared. He trotted up to the table, ignoring the argument happening before him. He played with his left ring on the table, spinning it on the spot as he listened to Chiron begin the discussion.

"Now then, let us get underway with discussing this Prophecy." Chiron began, looking out to them all. He heard Zoë growl, slamming her palms onto the Ping Pong table in front of her as she stood, her chair scraping along the hardwood floor.

"We don't have time to sit around and discuss the prophecy, Artemis needs our help!" She stated, looking down at the unmoving Son of Poseidon agitatedly. He heard Chiron suppress a sigh as he looked bleakly down to the Hunter before him.

"And where will you start?" Chiron hummed in question, looking down to her as she slunk back, sitting back in her seat.

"We go west," Bianca said simply, Zoë perking up a bit as she looked surprised at the new Hunter beside her. "The Oracle said to go west, five will go west to the goddess in chains."

"Precisely, well said Bianca. We will take five hunters and go west." Zoë smiled, looking proud of herself. Arc rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, resting the top of his head on the back of his chair, his face directed to the cracked ceiling. He closed his eyes as he sighed, his voice coming out different as he talked in the weird angle.

"Yeah, you're missing something there Zoë. Yes, it states five shall go west, but it also said Campers and Hunters combined." He stated, feigning disinterest. He looked down to her, as he hid a grin growing on his face, realising he'd struck a nerve.

"But is it such a good idea to send Hunters and Campers combined?" A voice said in the doorway, startling everyone in the room. They turned to look, spotting Mr D stood, swirling his can of Diet Coke in his hand, looking out to them all.

"I mean think about it, the prophecy states one shall perish, one shall be lost. What if combining your efforts gets others around you killed?" Mr D mused.

"Who's side are you on, with all due respect?" Chiron sighed, his tail swishing nervously. Dionysus grinned to his old friend, his eyebrow raised.

"Sorry old friend, just trying to help." He sighed, looking to the Demigods before him.

"Arcmelos is right, Zoë." Chiron sighed, looking to him. "It doesn't have to be anybody specific, however. just as long as they attend Camp." Chiron shrugged, looking out to them all.

"Yeah, it never specifically stated what kind of Campers either. I attend this camp, I don't mind going!" Grover began cheerfully, grinning to the Hunters. "Arc should come too, I know you don't have a good history together but we could use his car." Grover tried reasoning, looking between the two. He shook his head, looking over to Grover on the other side of the table, his eyes flicking to Zoë.

"As much as I'd like to save Artemis and Annabeth, I can't help you on this quest. For a start, yes you're right Grover, they and I don't have good History. I'm surprised they haven't tried to kill me yet like they usually do every time they come across me. So going along with our history, I wouldn't let them anywhere near my car, let alone inside it." He sighed, ignoring the questioning stares of what he said earlier. "Plus I'm leaving myself tomorrow. I have some stuff to do back at my camp." He sighed, looking to them all.

"What about Annabeth?" Percy wondered, gaining interest in the topic as he and his friends leant forward, watching him with interest.

"I've been thinking about it for an hour now, realisation hitting me now with this discussion. I had a dream earlier after dinner, I wanted to get some sleep before the Games started as I've not slept properly in a while. I dreamt of a dark area, seeing a figure struggling under the weight of something heavy, the jagged object almost touching the floor. There was a girl beneath it, a blonde girl. Someone else entered the scene, another girl, as she took the position under the weight of the object, taking the strain away from the other girl." He sighed.

"As much as I hate agreeing with thee, I had a dream similar," Zoë muttered, her face defeated. "The only difference was mine started with Artemis telling me she'd been captured." She sighed.

The room grew quiet for a moment as they let their words soak in. He looked around the room, surprised to feel a hand in his. He looked over to Thalia a small smile on her face, feeling her squeeze his hand in comfort before letting go.

"What about you Thalia? If what Arc says is true and it matches up with Zoë, will you help?" Grover wondered, looking across the table to her. There was a pause before she nodded, a determined look crossing her face.

"Hold on!" Percy yelled, looking to them all. "It was my fault that she's missing, I invited her with me to help Grover. I'd like to redeem myself." He sighed looking to Grover.

"Oh, yeah. I see what you mean Perce, don't worry. I'll step down and you can go in my place." Grover smiled, understanding the situation at hand.

"No," Zoë muttered, her stare hardening between the two brothers.

"Sorry?" Percy wondered, stunned at what he'd heard.

"No," Zoë repeated, looking to Percy. "I will not have a boy accompany me on this quest. Artemis came to me, a Hunter, and we do not allow men on our Quests, we were taught that lesson aeons ago." Zoë glowered, looking to Percy.

"But. Grover's a man, you didn't object to him going! You can't refuse me!" Percy managed.

"Grover is different. He's a Satyr, therefore an exception. And I can deny you, it's my quest." She stated a glare sent his way. Percy looked to Chiron stunned on what he'd heard half expecting him to take his side on the matter.

"She's right Percy. I'm sorry to say but she has free reign over who she lets accompany them." He sighed. Percy sat, mouth agape as he looked around the room, to his brother beside him. His mouth shut as he sat back once more, crossing his arms as he sighed.

"Well, that settles it then. Bianca, Phoebe, Thalia, Grover and I will go on this quest." Zoë stated, ignoring the cold feeling washing over the room. Arc repeated the action he did earlier, resting his eyes as his face stared towards the ceiling once more as he pondered the Prophecy.

"Carrying on with Mr D's train of thought from earlier. You need to stay out of deserts." He mumbled, feeling the eyes in the room turn to him, waiting for him to elaborate. "One shall be lost in the land without rain? It's a pretty clear indication to stay out of a desert to me, not many other places strike me as a place where it rarely rains." He stated, not even looking to the others in the room.

"This all needs to be dealt with quickly, we have a week until the Winter Solstice. Artemis must be present at the meeting." Chiron urged, looking to them all.

"Wonderful, another jovial meeting." Dionysus sighed. "I'd forgotten about that."

"I agree with Chiron, she is the most vocal when it comes to matters on Kronos. If she is not present, the gods will decide on nothing and it will result in another wasted year." Zoë stated matter of factly.

"Excuse me, young lady. Are you saying that we gods are dysfunctional and struggle with working with one another?" Mr D wondered.

"Yes, sir." She stated, shocking those present.

"Fair enough, you're not wrong. Carry on." He waved off, allowing the meeting to continue.

"The Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena added. "What could that mean?" The air around the room grew cold once more, causing him to look around. He watched Chiron and Zoë exchange glances, something they wished to keep to themselves.

"One shall perish by parents hand, who'd want to kill their child?" Grover wondered his mouth filled with food.

"Take your pick, it's not so much about the parent, maybe they'd be the one to do it as a mercy killing in a sense. I mean, you've got three potential candidates sitting right in front of you, that can apply to." Arc mused, looking around the room.

"I hate to agree with you under this situation Arc, but you might be right." Thalia sighed, glancing to him.

"There will be deaths that is for certain." Chiron began, shaking his head in sadness.

"Oh goody!" Dionysus cut in, a jovial smile on his face. Arc smiled, shaking his head at the god, always finding hilarity in serious situations.

"Moving on," Chiron sighed, ignoring Mr D. "I feel it would be best if we concluded this meeting here. Thalia and Grover get some rest for tomorrow. And Arc. Good luck with what you will be dealing with. Meeting adjourned." Chiron concluded.

"Hey, Zoë." He heard from the other side of the room, watching as she hung back, a sneer on her face. The Stoll brothers stepped up to her, watching as the other two left. "Phoebe was looking at this shirt earlier today but wasn't sure whether to get it or not. Can you give it to her as a parting gift, that conversation ended badly for us and we wanted to say sorry." Travis grinned, a hidden slyness behind it.

He looked to Percy beside him, also watching to altercation before them. Travis looked to Percy, a wink sent the two brothers way, something they'd been planning for a while was set in motion.

"What've they done?" He whispered to his brother beside him, too tired to read their minds.

"No idea, it's the Stoll brothers. They're known for doing all kinds of crazy stuff." Percy answered, watching as Zoë left, catching up with the Hunters below in the dark. They watched as Grover rushed out gleefully, rushing to the side of the Hunters, realising they'd already left.

"You'd think he'd have learnt by now." Thalia laughed, watching as he received another slap from the Hunters, walking them to their Cabin.

They began walking, Arc still in between the two as they walked down the porch steps in silence.

"What's happening at your camp for you to leave the same as us tomorrow then?" Thalia wondered, watching as Percy walked slightly further to the right of the two.

"Kronos has descended upon my Camp. Poseidon told me when I woke up earlier, that they were holding the advancing army back, but I need to get to them as soon as possible. I'd leave now, but I physically can't. Whenever the Gift of Poseidon takes hold, it saps me of energy. If I try going now, I either won't make it halfway there, or I'll just die." He sighed, feeling hopeless.

They both looked to him in concern, wishing him the best of luck as he entered his Cabin, Percy behind him. He quickly set an alarm on his watch, sleeping with it on tonight as he walked over to the bed he'd chosen. He crashed onto his bed, not bothering getting changed as he fell into a haunted sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - The beginning

He woke the next morning with a start, his watch vibrating on his wrist. He still felt drained, the lack of sleep and the energy released from the Gift of Poseidon, two factors of the equation. He stretched with a yawn, looking to the bunk opposite him, seeing it empty.

"Percy?" He called out, expecting an answer but received none. He frowned as he looked around his room, opening the front door to the Cabin. He threw his keyring to the floor, watching the usual Mustang was replaced with something quieter, a John Cooper Works Mini. He pulled out some clothes from the boot, along with a towel before he closed it gently. He made his way back over to the door in the corner, knocking on it to ensure his brother wasn't here, before stepping into the adjoining bathroom. He hopped into the shower, the cold water a shock to his system as he gasped, allowing himself to feel it.

He stepped out a few moments later, throwing his towel through the Mist, before getting dressed. He glanced to his watch, noting the four AM start to the day, feeling refreshed with the ice-cold shower. He stepped out of the Cabin once more, slinging open the boot once more, placing his rings on their respective fingers.

He stepped into the sighing about missing his friends, switching on the ignition, One point Six-litre twin-scroll turbo engine revving to life. He began driving away, turning the lights on as he went, planning on sitting at the side of the road for them, to say goodbye. He broke hard, hearing the tyres skid along the gravel beneath him; surprised to see Thalia sprinting towards him.

He smiled to himself, turning the CD Player down before he stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. He looked down to her, a small smile on her lips as she stared up at him, her breathing fast.

"You're not planning on leaving without saying bye, were you?" She grinned, punching his arm lightly. He shook his head chuckling.

"No, I was going to park my car down on the roadside and wait for you all to leave and meet you down there." He explained walking to the back, pressing the logo and picking up the keys. She looked up at him, a quizzical expression on her face.

"How far away is that talking through the Mist thing, capable of reaching?" She wondered after a moment. He frowned slightly.

"The world basically, as long as I'm alive I'll get the message." He assumed. "Why?" He wondered. She shook her head, taking his hand and pulling him towards the dining Pavillion.

"Just curious, will you come if we need help if I ask nicely?" She asked innocently. He shook his head chuckling at her antics, resisting the blush that was trying to spread across his face.

"I suppose. Where are we going?" He wondered, glancing up at the dim light from the dining Pavillion.

"Somethings happened to Phoebe, I was hoping you'd be able to help." He sighed, he didn't care much for the Hunters. They did try to kill him after all, on more than one occasion, especially one of them in particular. As they reached the Pavillion, Zoë glowered up at him, briefly before realising the healing skills he possessed.

"Help her." She said simply, almost defeatedly.

He raised an eyebrow, showing no emotion on the outside, but grinning devilishly inwardly. A Hunter asking him for help. He almost felt like laughing, that was until he glanced to the girl on the table, covered in burn blisters.

"What happened?" He sighed. Summoning some salve and nectar from Mist and healing magic combined, feeling a slight depletion in his energy.

"Centaur blood, those stupid Stoll Brothers put it on the shirt they wanted me to give to her. I knew they were up to something, but thought nothing of it." Zoë growled. He shook his head, smiling inwardly at the Stoll's prank, finally understanding it.

"Grab her arms and legs, I know for a fact you all hate me, and I would very much like to not get punched. This is going to sting." He ordered. He started pouring the nectar on the girl's wounds, Phoebe hissing and writhing in pain, almost getting out of the arm lock the others had on her.

He started to rub salve onto the burns, only getting slight hisses in response to particularly painful ones but the cooling feeling soon overtook the burning. They helped her sit up as he began wrapping her waist in bandages looking up at Zoë beside him, speaking the truth.

"She can't go with you on this quest, she needs to rest in her cabin where the other Hunters can watch over her. If she goes, there will be dire consequences for her and her life." He declared, staring at the two Hunters. They didn't argue as they watched Grover and Bianca, helping her back to Artemis Cabin.

Zoë nodded in agreement, something he found something very rare to see, agreeing with _him _let alone a _boy._ She eyed him, albeit reluctantly, asking what was on her mind.

"Are you sure you can't come? It would be nice to have someone who has healing expertise and could drive us around?" He was shaking his head, too tired to argue with the worst of the Hunters, his tiredness shown in his eyes.

"I can't, wars broke out at my camp and I'm fearing the worst, everything's gone quiet, I need to leave now." He explained, tossing the keyring to the floor, the car shimmering briefly between a pale blue and the black, finally settling on the latter. He shook his head at the car indecisive on the colour it wanted, feeling a tug in the pit of his stomach as two other presences entered the vicinity.

The sun was starting to come up, peeking on the horizon, Glancing at his watch seeing it was nearing five in the morning.

"You guys should get going too, you have a long journey ahead." He stated, rubbing his face tiredly. He watched as Grover and Bianca rejoined the group before the three began to walk to the hill. Thalia looked up at him briefly, chewing on her bottom lip.

She up looked to him and kissed him on the cheek as a thank you surprising them both. He watched as she ran to catch up to them. Again he tried to control the blush creeping up his face, unable to once more as he acknowledged the two hidden around him.

"Percy, Nico, you can stop hiding now." Percy took off Annabeth's cap looking rather quizzical. "It's essentially what I can do with the Mist Percy," Arc explained, reading his mind.

Nico emerged from a shadowed bush, near the Pavillion looking frantically over at Percy, surprising him greatly. How did he do that?

"Percy you heard them, take the cap go with them they won't see you." Percy considered the idea, weighing the options Annabeth springing to mind and ultimately answering the question weighing on his mind. He looked up to his brother, watching as he began walking to his car, glancing to his watch.

"Okay I'll go and I promise I will do my best to keep your sister safe if they find out I'm there." Nico nodded, a shine in his eyes. He was grateful for Percy's help and watched as he called for Blackjack. The two watched a black Pegasus swoop down from the sky, hidden in the dark sky above.

"Ready to go, boss?" He heard in his head. Blackjack looked to him, the horse's expression turning shocked. "There's two of ya?" He wondered, looking at the two. Arc laughed in amazement, realising this was the first time he'd seen a Pegasus before.

"Yeah, I'm his brother. Nice to meet you Blackjack." He grinned, watching as he bowed slightly to the two Son's of the Sea god.

He and Nico watched as Percy put on the cap, vanishing in an instant. A moment later the Pegasus was gone, following the car with his two friends in. Arc looked down to Nico a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"See you soon, Nico. If anyone asks where Percy is, if they don't already know that he's gone, tell them he came with me or something." He explained, stepping into the car. "You should get back to the cabin before the Harpies come along." He finished, rolling back up the window after hearing a screech in the distance of the patrol harpies roaming in the woods. He saw Nico wave at him, walking back into the direction of the Hermes cabin and glanced once more to the time, hoping he wasn't too late.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - War

He appeared at the bottom of the road of his camp in an alleyway. He pulled out of the narrow road, onto the busy streets of London, waving to the driver who let him by. The sun blazed down onto the busy streets, the time around ten in the morning, the traffic moving relatively well for London.

He watched as people walked passed the Camp, ignoring the smoke rising above the walls from inside the compound. The odd person stopped to look, concern on their face, seeing through the Mist, but ultimately walking away. He sighed as he shook his head, knowing that most mortals that see through the Mist don't know how to comprehend what they were seeing. He stared in disbelief as he drove into the compound, shimmering out of the mortal's vision.

He threw open his door, stepping out, his ring turning into the crossbow for fear of causing a disturbance with the pistols. The other on his hand, formed into a round disc double the size of his torso, a trident splayed on the front forged into the celestial bronze. He shot a bolt through the neck of a corrupted cyclops, ready to devour two campers that were left alive. He spied others milling around, checking for survivours around the cabins and work areas, his blood slowly boiling. He dropped to his knees before the two, The Daughter of Aphrodite and Son of Hermes, Rachael and Terry, gripping each other.

He realised for the first time that they were together.

"What in Hades name happened?" He demanded fighting back tears, tending to the puncture wound on Rachael. She pushed his hand away, struggling for breath. She'd lost too much blood they all knew that.

"We were winning the fight. Then during the night. We let our guard down. We were attacked from the rear. Laestrygonians and more corrupted cyclopes." She responded with laboured breath. He looked down at his two friends, his parental figures, fealing tears roll down his face.

"We did all we could. We tried to get all of the campers that were still with us to retreat, get out of camp. But it was too late." Terry breathed, seeing blood dripping from places he wished he couldn't see.

"I'm so sorry. I should've been here. Fought through the pain." He cried, showing more emotion than he had done in years. He could feel all of the memories flooding back to him, rushing his mind like a Tsunami of anguish.

"You would probably be here like us too." Rachael wheezed trying her hand at humour, coughing up blood. "We understand anyway, you have a war to prepare for, this was only the beginning." Her eyes were struggling to stay open, glazing over.

"No. I was weak. I was using up too much of my energy on stupid things." He breathed.

"We don't blame you." Terry wheezed, seeing Rachael beside him shaking her head. "Let us go Arc, we're ready. We'll see you in Elysium one day." Terry struggled. A stream rolled down each of their faces, a lump rising in his throat.

A sob ripped its way through him, his heart shattering as he stared at the pair in front of him. He covered his mouth, watching the last breath escape their lips, heads lulling to the side; leaning on each other. He let loose his cry of pain, anguish as he leaned his head on both of theirs, babbling like a newborn baby.

His cries attracted a lot of unwanted attention, a commotion heard from behind him. He turned to see the Cannibal Giants and Cyclopes grinning, hundreds of them, mumbling.

"Fresh meat."Evil grins spreading on their disgusting faces, covered in red.

He snapped.

The usual green aura that surrounded him turned a violent shade of red, the colour of blood. His eyes burned with rage, almost as if he was channelling the god Of War himself. It was a blood bath. Nothing survived.

All Hades broke loose.

Bullets, bolts, shards of metal, blood, dust all scattered around the camp. Nothing stood a chance. Anything that stood in the raging son of Poseidons way was quickly turned to dust, even the ones that tried to run.

Nothing escaped his wrath.

He stood, panting, in the centre of the camp. Looking at the destruction. Cabins were in flames, Dining Hall destroyed, the table and braziers overturned and on fire. Everything was gone.

All but him.

He wandered around the camp, the sun getting close to hitting the horizon. He had no idea how long he stood there, wallowing in grief and rage. He collapsed to his knees, vomiting at the sight around him. This was his home. And it was ruined.

If only he had been here. If only he was stronger. It's all his fault.

**He should be dead.**

The world around him moved on as if nothing was happening, he saw across the Thames that people carried on with their life, tourists, people in suits, workman changing traffic lights. He despised them all. Lucky to lead a normal life. Not knowing anything that had just occurred this side of the river. He looked around at what was left of everything, pools of blood dotted around, bones picked clean of flesh in piles. It disgusted him. He had no idea how many campers there was here, couldn't pick a number.

He stood. Anger coursing through his veins, anger too soft a word to describe what was happening to the disgraced son of Poseidon. He started a fire, finding the storage cabin with all the cabins banners inside. He placed every single one in the fire, one by one. Bone after bone, resisting the urge to vomit once more. He left his friends until last. He fashioned a pyre especially for them, placing both their bodies on the pile of neatly stacked wood, a stream running down his face as he said his last goodbyes their weapons laid by their sides. Shields decorated with their cabin symbol, a dove and the caduceus over their chests, banners over top. He looked down picking up both of their weapons.

Terry's was a long-bladed spear, the blade itself around the same length of a scythe's blade, sharpened on both sides, Perfect for long reach, decorated with twin snakes wrapping around the shaft. It was an enchanted weapon, one that could retract into a sword for close quarters and the spear for longer reach, strong and sturdy. Rachaels was something uncharacteristic of a child of Aphrodite. It was a war axe decorated with olive branches and doves, twin-bladed as if it was a mini two-handed battleaxe. Two very beautifully crafted masterpieces for two of the best people he'd ever known. He kept their weapons to one side as the fire was lit, burning hotter and melting their shields along with their bodies.

He was a broken man. There was not a lot he could do now. He was lost. He saw the forges were mostly intact and took off his rings, tossing them in the forge along with the weapons. They melted together, forming the ring once more as he stared, lost in the flames of memories.

_"Keep your guard up, come on." Screamed Terry from the side as he watched the boy swing wildly with the sword that was too big for him to handle. He was knocked off his feet, blade at his throat. Rachael staring down at him. _

_"Come on, you can do better than this. You need to learn to use weapons like these, you won't survive out there otherwise." Rachael looked sympathetically down at the young boy. _

_"I'm trying, it's just so hard trying to find a weapon that works for me." The young Arcmelos cried. She cooed to the boy, bringing him into a hug._

_"Hey. Shh shh shh. We'll find something that works for you. Don't worry. Even if it takes a million years. We'll find something that works." She smiled comfortingly down at the boy, Terry coming over to join them, ruffling the mop of hair atop the boys head._

_"Here." He said dropping the spear into the boy's hands. "We haven't tried our weapons yet in your hands. Maybe these'il be the ones." _

_Rachael handing him hers too, letting him feel the weight of them. A flash of light interrupted the trio, Poseidon walking over to the boy handing him the set of rings that contained the knuckle dusters he used to this day. _

_He nodded to them both, all three understanding that this issue needed resolving and soon. _

_They brought over some training dummies, the thought of their weapons in his mind gone, too intrigued by the magical items that Poseidon had gifted the disappointing son._

_"Again." Commanded Poseidon. Over and over. After his win in WRX and he returned from Ares, Poseidon was disgusted that his son sought out help from another god in fighting for his life. "Come on, boy!" Keep your arms up. No rest!" Bellowed Poseidon. "Get up you stupid boy, fight like a man!" He growled, as the monsters, one a small child wasn't meant to fight, let alone kill, kept knocking him to the floor over and over._

_"You need to fight for your life boy! This isn't going to do anyone any good, is it!" He screamed at his disgraceful son, a river running down the boys face. He was harsh on the poor boy, his son, he knew but he needed him to be strong. Better. Incase the Prophecy was about him. He whipped everything out of the boy. Drained him of emotion. Made him a tool for the gods. A tool for him. He was starting to become proud of his son._

_"Train hard my boy, and you will become something great," he told the emotionally drained boy. A husk of what he once was._ _Every praise of his son, every time he berated him, telling him to be better, the emotion was drawn from the poor boy. Looking back on those memories something was off. The man he called father was._

Different.

Looking back on that memory, he was too distracted to see that the weapons of his fallen friends were a perfect fit. These were the first weapons that felt comfortable in his hands, but he was too distracted by his father's gift, the very first gift he ever gave his disappointing son. He plucked the rings from the lava fuelled forge, using the pair of tongs and quenched the rings in oil. He slid the still warm ring onto his finger once more, the other on his other hand, bring out the shield that now had a Dove and a Cadeseus besides the trident, their names under their respective crest. A living memory of them both.

The people that practically raised him.

He wandered over to the head cabin, the one that was home to Rachael and Terry, the leaders of the camp, and entered, the flood gates opened once more as he looked around the room, a sob escaping his mouth once more wrenching his soul, even more, looking around at the destroyed room. On the walls that were still left standing and scattered around on the floor were pictures, framed pictures, glass smashed around on the floor. Some contained a lot of campers, past away recently in the battle or from years gone by. But the ones that stood out the most were the ones that contained him. There were dozens of them.

He bent down brushing the shattered glass covering one on the floor, lifting it and smiled through the pain, a bubbling watery laugh exiting his lips as he looked at the funny faces that they were pulling. A lot of them looked like they were done in secret, some showing the trio hugging, looking like proud parents. Staring down at the young boy with love in their eyes, as if he was their own. Every picture made it look as if they were a family.

It hurt him.

Knowing they were now no longer in the world with him, but felt a warm glow wash over him, a smile as if they were watching over him. He stumbled around the room, kicking away debris and heavily drained, scooping up every picture he could find with them in including the ones with him in, and sat on the broken bed, collapsed under the weight of the ceiling falling on top of it. He sat thumbing through the stack of pictures, broken cries exiting his mouth as he remembered picture after picture, memory after memory.

All of these emotions coursing through him at once brought him back from the brink of being an emotionless husk back to how he was before his change of becoming a WMD. But that part of him was still there, a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. He kicked the rubble around the bed, startled when he heard a rattle from the bedside cabinet that the rubble was burying. He frowned, eyes puffy and red, as he opened the drawer, revealing a ring inside on top of some papers.

It was a wedding ring.

He wrenched the rubble off the top of the other and pulled open the stuck drawer, aided by the raging side of him. He sobbed when he pulled out the matching wedding band and a framed picture of the two. They'd secretly gotten married. They kept it secret from the camp, from him, and he understood. It would have been stupid and frowned upon if they were to be found out. They would've lost their leadership mantle, for fear that one would sacrifice everything for the other.

But they hadn't.

They fought to the bitter end in hopes that the campers would get to safety. They cared about this camp. And it was his fault they everyone was dead.

He should've been here.

He cried himself to sleep that night, clutching at everything he'd found, the pictures the rings; falling into a restless haunting sleep as his mind flashed through events, the quest his brother was currently on, seeing the aftermath of the giant prototype of Talos, Old memories growing up and haunting images of the events that transpired in the battle making him sick to his stomach.

It was his fault. He should be dead. Not them. He would trade his life for everyone to be back alive that died that day.

He awoke the next morning, eyes wet from crying in his sleep all night, hating everything in existence. He walked out the destroyed cabin, looking around at the desolate camp. He shook his head looking all around channelling all the hate and anger into the mist, reversing time almost and fixing everything to before the war broke out. He looked around in shock as everything was fixed, back to normal as if nothing had happened days before. His eyebrows knitted together, frowning as he half expected everyone to just walk out of their cabins, ready for breakfast and then start the day with chores and training.

He crafted two small marble platforms on either side of the door to the cabin he stood outside, watching as the mist created two statues. A Dove and a Cadeseus with the words, In loving memory to the protector of the camp Rachael, Daughter of Aphrodite, and Terry, Son of Hermes on both statues. A plaque appearing above the doorway on every cabin commemorating the loss of every cabins member, The Sons and Daughters of each Cabin, that lost their lives fighting to protect the one safe place for Demigods.

He looked around one last time, proud of his unintentional work to commemorate those that died. He slowly walked to the car that sensed his emotion, currently his first rallycross car in road mode, clutching at the stack of photos tightly refusing to let them go. He didn't have the heart to change the car, let alone do anything. He just shrouded himself in the mist, going back to Camp Half-Blood and hiding in his cabin, wallowing in grief.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Thalia Called

He sat in his cabin, wallowing in grief, shrouded in the Mist looking through the pictures over and over. He didn't go to meals, barely slept, didn't train. He just laid there. With bloodshot eyes, he placed the photos in the bedside table. He stank and he knew it. He made his way to the bathroom, wandering in and deciding to use the shower. He sighed as the spray hit his back, the water calming him. It didn't have the same effect as the sea, but it still helped. He stepped out of the shower drying himself when he heard the call.

"Arc, can you come and pick us up please, before there's another fight." Thalia sighed mentally. He nodded his head, facepalming when he realised she couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I'm leaving in a moment." He mumbled, throwing on some clothes.

He closed the door behind him as he chucked the keyring, watching as it changed to the Mitsubishi. He stepped in, ensuring that the rings were still on his fingers as he turned the key in the ignition, hearing the engine fire to life. He appeared a little way down the road, the chatter of the wastegate rolling over the desolate salt flats. He noticed Percy stood looking out towards the hillside, spotting the river running down the side, sensing an idea forming in his brothers head.

He pulled up beside them, flicking his eyebrow in greeting, still depressed about the situation. He observed Thalia's face, watching as her eyes lit up, smiling up at him from the roadside.

"Wait a minute," Grover called out, standing from the side of the road. "How in Hades did it take me this long to realise." He yelled, shaking his head. He watched as Grover stared speechless at the car, looking up to its driver over and over.

"Arc... Arcmelos. The kid we met seven years ago." He frowned, looking down to his steering wheel noticing the three diamond shape. He grinned towards Grover, the smile disheartened, letting him know he'd guessed right.

He watched as the realization dawned on Thalia, watching her electric blue eyes widen in disbelief. Zoë and Percy looked lost at his sudden appearance, questions weighing on their minds.

"Arc. What are you doing here, I thought you said you were back home." He ignored the last part, not feeling up to the usual sarcastic remarks.

"Thalia asked for help so I came to help. But still, don't expect me to stay I'm in a seriously foul mood right now." He growled, his fists clenching around the steering wheel. He caught a glimpse of Thalia, watching him as she frowned in concern.

"I was meant to tell you all when the time was right, it was a precaution to ensure your minds didn't fry in a sense." He rubbed his brow, weary of everything. He waited as he heard the doors open, watching as everyone climbed into the car. Thalia sat beside him ignoring her concerned gaze as he put his foot down hard on the accelerator, speeding towards the awaiting traffic piling up before them.

"Where do you plan on taking us?" Zoë wondered, clinging onto the door handle on the inside. He glanced to them briefly through the rearview mirror, watching the fear bloom.

"Percy was about to suggest that you head up the rapids, which go towards the dam. That's where I'm going to take you." He sighed, easing off of the accelerator. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, placing his elbow on the window frame, feeling the car slowly rolling to a standstill. "Get some sleep, it's going to be at least an hour maybe two if I can't find a way to get around this stupid traffic." He growled.

After a few minutes of silence, there was snoring coming from the back from all three of them. "Thalia get some sleep I'll wake you when we get there." Arc sighed.

"That's okay, I slept in the other car for a couple of hours before it broke down." She explained. He could still feel her gaze on him, noticing the jitteriness he was displaying. "Arc?" He hummed, looking passed her afraid to meet her eyes. He spied a dirt road alongside the Motorway, pulling off from the standstill traffic. "Do you want to talk about what happened." She wondered, noticing the change in demeanour.

A tear trickled down his cheek which was swiped away quickly. She noticed still, a ragged breath escaping from his lips.

"A blood bath. I arrived looking over so much blood, bones, dust, fire. The two people that raised me until a couple of years ago. I watched them die in each other's arms. And I wasn't there to help." He took a laboured breath, trying not to cry. He was done crying. He cleared his throat and continued.

"I snapped. Slaughtered the entire army, even the ones that tried to run." His gaze hardened as he drove down the winding dirt track, leading towards a road ahead. "I should've been the one that died, not them. They didn't deserve it."

There was a grumble from the back of the car, Grover, rolling his neck over to the right, leaning on Percy's shoulder. He glanced into the mirror, seeing the movement, causing a bubbly rumble in his chest. He looked over at her face, her eyes glistening. He didn't want to see her cry.

"Don't ever say that. Your life means so much more to everyone than you realise. Grover, Percy, Sally who doesn't even know you yet. And me." She smiled, comfortingly up at him. That lifted his spirits slightly. no one had ever said something so meaningful to him in years. The last person being Rachael and Terry. She tentatively took his hand that was resting on the gear stick and surprised him when she kissed his cheek.

He looked uncertain at the girl he was starting to fall for, before returning them to the trail. They sat in silence for a time while he contemplated everything that had happened in life. Poseidon turning him into a weapon for the gods, taking him away from his mother, attacking and being attacked by Zoë. He thought about everything that had caused hell in his life and looked at it in another perspective. He came out of his thoughts, as he turned the corner leading down towards the dam.

"We're here guys." He told them, looking in the mirror. He heard yawns and saw them stretching in the back, look out the window to the mass of water behind the dam.

"Zoë?" He called as he pulled up to the kerb.

"Yes?" He waited a moment as he watched the others climb out of the car, closing the doors behind them. He was thankful they could sense it was a bit of a private matter, especially in regards to the two of them. He looked at her and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened between us, I guess what happened on my quest and evaluating everything on the way here and the past day taught me to just let go of grudges." She smiled at him a genuine smile something he'd never thought he'd see.

"I'm sorry too, it was stupid holding this against thee, I never knew what happened in life, but I learned a lot from your brother and the others. And after hearing what you went through I feel stupid for always giving you a hard time, whenever we encountered one another, old habits die hard." She explained. He smiled to the girl, happy they were finally getting along and watched her jog to the others waving as they watched him drive off.

He drove for a while, his mind casting over the events once more. He still felt like it should've been him. Thalia's words sprang to mind once more, realising she was right. His mum didn't even know of his existence yet, Percy was slowly getting to know him. And Thalia.

She was something else.

He realised what these feelings were, he held for her. He was scared of what was to be the outcome of the two.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Meeting

It had been two days since he'd had any contact what so ever with them. It was starting to concern him. He lost sight of them through the Mist, fearing the worst. He was driving around aimlessly, a new perspective on life, feeling a lot better about everything after getting it off his chest to Thalia. Her telling him that he meant a lot to everyone was something he needed to hear, especially from her.

"Arc, can you come and pick us up again please, we're at the bottom of Central Park, a few blocks down by a Subway entrance. We need to get to Olympus." Thalia sighed.

The car was still the Mitsubishi after they held an anniversary event down at the little rallycross track where they first met, to commemorate the young driver's Victory. As he drove toward their location, on, something caught his eye flying at a surprising speed across the night sky. It was the flying chariot. They'd done it, they had saved Artemis and, hopefully, Annabeth as well. And there he was, unhelpful and wallowing in pity. He frowned, kicking himself, realising how much of an idiot he was.

He pulled up to the kerb alongside them a grin stretching onto his face, the priceless look of shock on Annabeth's face as her eyes comically widened.

"Hey Annabeth, good to have you with us! I hear you need a lift to Mount Olympus." Annabeth stood gawking at him, sensing her confusion on the matter. "Okay we haven't got long to get to Olympus, get in I will explain everything!"

"So, you are a son of Poseidon, Percy's actual twin brother and you erased our memories. Why?" He looked at Annabeth through the mirror.

"Poseidon kept telling me the time for you all to meet me wasn't those days we met. It was meant to be at the Military school. Not sure why but I also didn't want to chance telling everyone too soon in case it fried your brains." He shrugged nonchalantly. It didn't take long to get to the Empire State Building, pulling up alongside the entrance, glancing up at the tall building in front of them.

"We have five minutes left of the council and we're not getting there in time by elevator and walking. Don't move, I'll Mist Travel us up there." He sighed looking around at everyone.

He closed his eyes concentrating on the throne room to Olympus, thankful that he knew what it looked like, and dissolved into Mist. They appeared in the throne room startling Zeus mid-sentence.  
He dropped to his knees coughing in retaliation to what just occurred, this was the first time he'd ever Mist Travelled with more than just himself.

"Sorry, didn't want to walk all that way. Contin-" Everyone watched as his head hit the marble floor with a loud thud, the gods rolling their eyes and sighing at the scene.

"-My brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause... -Poseidon has been permitted to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes…" He could hear as he came too, the voice cutting in and out from his hearing.

"Sorry about that." He grumbled as he sat up, grogginess in his voice as if he'd slept for hours. He looked around the room, fearing he'd just interrupted one of the gods mid-flow, all eyes on him. "Sorry, I have a feeling I just interrupted one of you." He cringed, feeling a little bit guilty.

"Quite alright Arcmelos." He heard, his attention drawn to Artemis. He looked up in shock, surprised that she was no longer staring at him, ready to kill him. "If I may, where did you appear from? The others seem unable to describe this... Power." She finished, looking down to him in Human form.

"Uhm. Mist Travel. It allows me to go wherever I please as long as I know what it looks like and where it is exactly. I've been here often when I was younger." He explained as he stood beside his brother, stretching. "Thank you, Apollo. I assume you're the one that healed me?" He wondered. The god grinned in response nodding his head as he looked to Zeus, seeing his irritation flare. "Sorry, continue." He quietly finished, looking to the gods once more.

"Demigods," Zeus grunted, rolling his eyes to the unknown Demigod before him.

"Yes, as I was saying," Artemis began, turning to address the court once more behind her. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?"

The gods present grumbled, looking down to the three beside him, this unknown Demigod to most, one they ignored.

"Well, I think they did pretty good. They returned my sister safely and presented us with these facts." Apollo smiled, looking down to them all.

"All in favour of avoiding disintegration, for our fine heroes?" Hermes wondered, his hand rising as he eyed Percy and Thalia. They watched as a few hands rose, those that were still unaware of his godly parent absent from this vote.

"Hang on a moment," Ares growled, looking down to Percy and Thalia. "These two are too dangerous to be left alive," Ares stated, unaware of the third child of the Big Three beside his brother. "Arcmelos, on the other hand, might cause a problem later on down the line but my training with him should suffice," Ares muttered, addressing him.

"Training?" Zeus wondered, looking down to the mysterious Demigod.

"Yeah, he came to me when he was younger. Wanted me to train him in fighting, a snivelling little brat. That was until he showed some promise, finishing a task I presented him with rather quickly. He posses a Gift, the one we give to our children sometimes if we feel the need calls for it. His godly parent on the other hand, however, remains to be seen." He finished.

"Ares. They are worthy heroes." Poseidon interrupted his expression stern, drawing his attention away from his firstborn son. "You will not harm them."

"Nor will you harm my daughter," Zeus muttered, looking to the court. "She has done well," Zeus concluded, looking to the blush rising on his daughters face.

He sighed as he looked down to his rings on his hand, a random song playing through his head as he tuned out from Athena's words, the matter not wholly directed to him in the current situation.

"No, I will not have them punished." Artemis chimed in, looking to the three of them that saved her. "These three have earned my respect, especially one of them being a boy. Two of which held the very weight of the world atop their shoulders." She finished looking to Zeus.

"Three? What of this one." Zeus muttered, looking to the disinterested Demigod. The one who was lost in his thoughts of past events in London.

"He was not present," Artemis stated, eying the boy.

"Arcmelos," Zeus yelled, startling the boy from his thoughts. "You seem disinterested in this conversation. Where were you in Artemis time of need? Who are you in regards to this court?" Zeus growled, looking down to him. He swallowed thickly as he stared to the gods.

He watched as Zeus leant forward, his hand clasping around the Master Bolt in the holster beside his Throne. His eyes met his fathers watching a minuscule change in his expression, a brief sneer before returning to concerned, shocking him momentarily.

"Speak!" Zeus bellowed, the Master Bolt crackling in hand.

"I was not chosen for this Quest." He stuttered, looking to Zeus. "The Lieutenant of Artemis chose Grover and Thalia to accompany her, I only helped when I was called upon. I was in my own Camp back in London for a time, attending a... A tragedy that befell it. Kronos had sent monsters to do his bidding, wiping that Camp from existence." He finished, looking to the floor, feeling tears well in his eyes. The room grew silent as everyone stared down at the boy. He heard a sigh, glancing to Athena as she stood, addressing the court.

"As I said before, I am proud of my Daughter." Athena began. "But I have to agree with Ares at this point in time, these two are a security risk." She sighed, holding up a hand to her Daughter, ready to object.

"Three." He muttered as he glanced up, his mouth moving faster than his mind.

"Excuse me?" Athena stated, shock on her face as she stared down to him, a Demigod, addressing a god without permission.

"Three." He repeated, looking to the Court. "I'm Percy's brother." All eyes widened as they turned to Poseidon, dirty looks from the goddesses shot his way, Athena included. She looked appalled at the sea gods antics, watching as she struggled to find the words through her shock.

"You broke the ancient law not once but twice!" She demanded. He watched as Poseidon slunk back slightly, looking to his son who supposedly hated him.

He growled under his breath, feeling the anger rise within. He stepped forward, shocking his father and the gods before him, watching as he confronted Athena. All rational thoughts left him, he didn't care. He was far from caring anymore, still feeling like a ticking time bomb.

"No. He broke it once. Yes, I'm a son of Poseidon but I'm also the twin brother to Percy." Athena stared down at him, stunned at what she heard, the court murmuring around them. Poseidon looked equally as shocked, a small smile on his face, pride in his eyes.

She wasn't used to demigods answering her back. "Okay then, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. We cannot let these Demigods live. We have the Great Prophecy to worry about, by eliminating them and the newly discovered son, the Prophecy might be avoided." She finished, looking to the stunned court. He watched as the gods that helped him growing up smiled, finally understanding his story before confusion set in on them.

"You will not harm my sons," Poseidon repeated, his expression darkening.

"I don't mean to be rude, Athena. But I think having one god against you is enough, let alone eight more." He argued, his tone holding some innocence. She stared down at him, seeing him in a new light. If looks could kill and each god present could probably achieve that, he would definitely be dead.

"What do you mean eight more?" she growled, glaring down at the boy, looking as if she was about to kill him. At that point, he didn't care. He scratched the back of his head his mind reeling as if he had a death wish.

"Well for a start there was those that raised their hands at Hermes words. So excluding them, you and my father aren't on good terms. And with the way he raised me, that extended to me too." He muttered under his breath before continuing.

"I can't speak for myself for the next two, because there are some that probably would want me dead. But Zeus wants no harm to his daughter so that accounts for one more. Artemis is happy with their performance on their quest, but with the rocky relationship between her and I, I feel it wouldn't extend to myself. Then there is Apollo who helped me growing up, Hephaestus who also helped me growing up along with Hecate. And I imagine now he knows who I fully am and from his brief story earlier, Ares is also on the fence about me now too." He finished, cringing slightly.

He stood in silence, his mouth taking over from his mind once more as he stared up at the reddening face of Athena, her eye twitching as she stared down to him. The look was growing intense, to the point of an approaching bursting of a blood vessel, if that were possible.

The court sat stunned, watching as Athena sat back down looking a look of bewilderment on her face, anger still coursing through her. The gods that agreed to their deaths got the message, kill the Demigods and there would be a war. He stepped back over to his friends all gawking at him, shrugging in response.

"It seems I've got a death wish right now, what can I say?" He smiled sheepishly, turning to look back up at the powerful room.

He could feel Annabeth's gaze, feeling the mixed emotions rolling off of her, hatred, amazement, fear.

"Plus, Seen as you all didn't know until now that I was a son of Poseidon, my training with Hecate must have done some good. That meant I could hide my scent from you all, meaning Kronos can't control me if he can't see me. So, I'm not the one in the prophecy." He continued once more, addressing the gods as he looked up to each of them. "I would extend my talents to them too, but it takes immense power through the Mist to do everything I can all at once. I'm slowly getting better at it, so in a year maybe I can probably begin shrouding the others." He stated to the stunned court. He watched as Artemis came out of her daze before them, looking to each of them in turn.

"I will not have them punished," Artemis spoke, looking to the gods around them. "As Arcmelos explained, he and I may have got off on the wrong foot, but I can vouch for him. All of them. They should all be rewarded for their actions, some in different ways than others."

"Like Arcmelos for instance, your leniency on his freedom of speech will suffice. I understand the pain he's been through regarding his Camps destruction, feeling the loss of one of my favourite Daughters." Aphrodite smiled softly, surprising him greatly as she looked over him.

"Along with my son," Hermes spoke, looking down to him once more. "We both appreciate you in how you handled the situation in your grieving state for our children." Hermes sighed, watching as his ring flickered on his hand. The ring shimmered, forming the shield momentarily, the two gods crests emblazoned beside the Trident in the centre.

The room grew silent for a moment as the gods nodded, allowing him to exit the limelight peacefully with no danger to his life.

"Very well, he is excused for his rudeness towards us," Zeus grumbled, watching as he bowed.

"Thank you. I do not deserve your generosity." He finished monotonously, this same conversation feeling like Dejavu.

"Arcmelos. If I may?" Hephaestus wondered, the extent of his abilities eating into him, along with others. "What is this to do with your abilities over the Mist?" He wondered.

"Well, when I was born I was shrouded in a heavy layer of Mist, so much so that the mortals present in the room were unable to see or hear me. Poseidon intervened, angry that his firstborn was being ignored when he realised the Aura around me. I was taken to London to be raised by a Daughter of Aphrodite and Son of Hermes who sadly fell defending my Camp. Hecate taught me to control my abilities, teaching me various things I could achieve with it." He finished, realising for the first time how formal he addressed the gods.

The gods nodded, satisfied as they eyed him and Poseidon, watching as he slunk back into the background. He stood away from the group, off to the side by the base of a pillar, away from the god's gaze, tuning out of the conversation once more.

"And what about you Thalia. Have you come to your conclusion?" Artemis wondered, his attention drawing to her name.

"I have Artemis." She breathed, her gaze lingering on each of her friends, a glance over her shoulder to him. He watched as Zeus leant forward, concern in his eyes towards his daughter.

"Thalia think this through," Zeus stated, his hands clasped together before him.

He could feel the fear slowly rising within him, his eyes darting to Thalia. Her expression, tone and movement were cautious.

"I have father, by doing this I can never reach sixteen in a couple of days." She sighed, looking to Artemis beside her. His heart stopped as he heard the pledge to Artemis. His mood saddened once more, much like before, but this didn't compare to his Camp's destruction. He just felt sad and alone. He sighed as Artemis accepted her pledge ignoring the slight hesitation in her voice.

He watched as Thalia hugged Grover, whispering words into his ear, then Annabeth and then Percy. He pushed open the Throne Room doors, the gods unaware of his sudden exit. He thought he heard an apology from his mind but wasn't sure, his mood low once more. He sighed as he looked over to his car, back to being the Mustang, the car and his emotions unable to find a suitable replacement. He stood beside the car running his fingers over the bonnet, waiting for the others to join him below, ignoring passersby as they stared at him, questioning stares on their faces.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - Going Home

He sat around for Twenty minutes as he waited for them, sensing them draw closer through the Mist. He glanced to his watch, noticing the time was half-past seven, watching as they emerged from the lift. He stood from leaning against his car, opening the door for the two, pulling his chair forward. Annabeth and Percy climbed into the back, observing Annabeth as she looked around at the change of surroundings.

He stepped in after Percy a moment later, adjusting his seat as he waited for them to place their seatbelts on. He started the car, listening to the grumbling V8 fire to life, glancing to the others in the car before he peeled away, waving to the person behind who let him through. They drove in silence for a while as he nodded his head to AC/DC, Shoot to Thrill playing loudly through the speakers.

"What happened to your Rallycross car?" Annabeth wondered, looking around at the little room in the back.

"He added something he designed which allows it to change according to his emotions or what he wants," Percy explained. "My guess he is angry?" Percy questioned.

He sighed as he shook his head, his state back to what it was after the incident at his home. "No. I would be glowing, just fed up. Disheartened I suppose."

They rode in silence once more, sensing Grover's gaze on him. He looked to the Satyr beside him, a sympathetic expression on his face as he sensed the inner turmoil within. He broke sharply, his hand waving in rage as the driver in front of him cut him off, swearing at him in Ancient Greek.

"Idiot." He muttered under his breath, gripping the steering wheel tight.

"You had an interesting way of talking to my mother." Annabeth grinned lightly. He looked to her in his rearview mirror, a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was getting a little suicidal up there it seems. For whatever reason, my mouth was moving before my mind." He sighed, shaking his head as he came to a standstill once more. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a migraine slowly appearing in his head, the traffic getting to him as someone else cut into his lane.

"I still can't believe some wanted to kill, you, Percy and Thalia." She sighed in disbelief.

His heart ached the moment she said her name, his face falling. He didn't realise how much he'd fallen for the Daughter of Zeus.

"Don't worry about it man, there's other fish in the sea... No pun intended." Grover whispered as he patted his arm, a small smile on his face. He laughed as he shook his head, indicating to turn right.

"Very funny Grover." He grinned. "Very funny." He shook his head, finally making it passed the traffic. He turned onto the B road that led towards the beachfront, a faster route than going over the motorway and sitting in the piling traffic.

He heard sighs all around, looking to the rearview mirror once more at the two behind him. He smiled as he slowed down a little, noticing the three were asleep, catching up on every bit they'd missed. He took the long way to camp, stopping off at a shop to buy something to cheer himself up. He stepped back into the car, closing the door lightly behind him as he placed the drink in the cup holder beside him, unwrapping the Snickers bar.

He pulled open the glove box, pulling out the necklace belonging to his fallen parental figures, along with a CD. He placed it around his neck as he held the bar in between his teeth, taking the CD from the player. He chucked the mixed CD back into the glove box, hearing Ozzy Osbourne come faintly through the speakers.

He glanced to the time once more, seeing that Campfire would be starting shortly at Camp, starting the car up once more. He drove with tears glistening in his eyes as he listened to 'Mama, I'm Coming Home', realising that would never attribute to the people who raised him anymore.

He cleared his throat after a while, wiping his eyes as his gaze hardened. His eyes fixated onto Thalia's tree ahead of him after a while, 'Road To Nowhere' finishing playing as he pulled up the handbrake, switching off the ignition.

"We're back." He called, as he stepped out of the car. He waited for a moment, watching as the others followed soon after.

"It's good to be home." Annabeth smiled, looking up to the tree before them. She stood in stunned silence as she watched the car morphed into a keyring, the car key falling in his hand.

"You'll get used to it." Percy sleepily muttered as he yawned, his mop of black hair strawn about from being pressed against the back window.

He played with the rings on the necklace around his neck, twirling them in between his fingers.

"Who did they belong to?" Annabeth wondered, asking cautiously.

"My parental figures. They'd gotten married and actually sealed the deal between the two." He sighed, spotting a shimmer from beside him. He turned to look, surprised to see the goddess of Love stood before them, the others seemingly unaware of her presence.

" What do you need Aphrodite?" He wondered. He spotted the odd looks from the others, watching as they scanned around them before their eyes settled back to him.

"I only appeared to you as I did with Percy on his quest." A flash of understanding past over his face, nodding as he looked at them again.

"I'll meet you at the Campfire." He smiled, watching them as they nodded and left, leaving him alone with the goddess of Love. A wave of awkwardness washed over him as he stood before her, rubbing his arm, unknowing what to do. He watched as a breeze rolled through, her hair fluttering in the wind, settling once more in the same position. A sweet scent filled his nostrils, the smell of honeysuckle in the air, emanating from the goddess.

"Artemis and I had an interesting discussion, to say the least after you left. About you and Thalia." She began, surprising him.

He struggled to find words, ultimately stopping before he leaned against the nearest tree, staring up at the goddess before him. He watched as her face changed with every blink. It never marred her features, however, it was a beautiful woman every time his eyes opened after their minuscule closing.

"Usually we never agree on anything, but in the interest of love. Well, that changes the story." She continued, looking to him expectantly.

His heart stopped momentarily as he stared up at the goddess in shock, confused on where this was heading.

"Artemis was... Hesitant, to say the least on letting Thalia into the Hunters. She could sense her heart wasn't properly there as she recited the pledge. But she knew that if she didn't overlook this... feeling, that she could've very well turned over to Lukes side. Something no one could let happen." He frowned slightly as he nodded still not sure what she was getting at.

"Your the goddess of love though, do you not. I don't know. Set up these matchmaking things beforehand, weaving it into mortals stories." He wondered.

"Well, that's usually how it works but sometimes I don't have to interfere. Well, not all the way at least. Take Percy and Annabeth for example. They were given some nudges along the way by yours truly." She began. "And a helpful shove to Percy in my husband's junkyard." She muttered under her breath. He watched as she pulled a little mirror from her pocket, wiping at an invisible spec on her lip before she put it away, continuing with her train of thought.

"but in places, a guiding hand wasn't necessary. I helped with his situation when he first began following the four of them. I whispered in Mr D's ear to leave him be, for obvious reasons." She explained to him. He nodded in understanding, before shaking his head, clueless on the conversation at hand.

"You and Percy definitely are brothers, you look as lost as he did." She sighed, shaking her head. She smiled a soft beautiful smile before the mood shifted to a more sombre mood. "But with Thalia, that poor girls love life wasn't meant to have a happy ending." She sighed. He frowned, feeling anger boil within. Everyone deserves a shot at happiness. The anger was quenched in an instant, the goddess of Love's presence affecting him.

"That was until you came into the equation. You being the mysterious Son of Poseidon, something nobody, not even myself saw coming, was never really meant to meet Thalia. But here you are and out popped the feelings Thalia started having for you." He gaped up to her, her words sinking in, in an instant.

He had no idea she felt that way towards him, only that they had an odd sort of friendship. His mind cast back to the signs she'd shown all throughout his time knowing her properly.

"Now the problem here was that by accepting Thalia into the Hunters, she hopes that her feelings for you will slowly diminish over time. But in the event that doesn't happen, Artemis and I concluded that if she were to fall on the battlefield, that we would make her immortal again and put her on Mount Olympus for you. In the meantime, you just need to remain faithful to her. This is all I ask of you, a favour for a favour if you will. Seen as you like doing those with other gods." She smiled kindly, baffling him further.

"Thalia likes me." She nodded. "And I need to stay faithful to her."

"That is correct." She smiled sweetly. He shook his head, turning around rubbing his hand tiredly over his face, looking out to the copse of trees in front of him.

"And if she falls, she will be put on Mount Olympus for me." She nodded, anticipating his next question. "In what universe does that help me?" He wondered. "It's very unlikely I will see her again. Anyone again for that matter, I could be dead within the week for all I know or drop off the face of the Earth and no one would be the wiser." Aphrodite stared blankly towards him, his words upsetting her, He sensed she was upset with him, and he clearly had much to learn.

"You will understand when the time comes. Just don't talk like that, especially around the others. You mean a lot more to them than you realise." She smiled sadly down him.

He was stunned by her words, hearing a change from on Olympus. She turned, the breeze blowing once more, filling the air once more with the smell of honeysuckle.

"Oh and one more thing. Hermes and I are extremely grateful to you about Rachael and Terry, we can't stress that enough. He couldn't be here to thank you once more in person, he had to run an errand, as always." She smiled sadly. He watched in stunned silence as she vanished, leaving behind the smell of the sweet-scented perfume.

A small smile formed on his face as he stepped through the boundary, past the dragon guarding the fleece. He stepped into the Amphitheatre, looking out to all the faces gathered, waiting expectantly for his arrival.

"Arc I see you have returned from your quest too, how was it?" Chiron wondered, trotting over to him. He looked out to each face before him, standing beside his brother in the centre as he sighed. The Satyrs gathered collectively sighed, sensing the inner turmoil within as the memories surfaced once more.

"I, uh. I actually came back a few days ago, but I hid in The Mist and my cabin for a while because I didn't want to talk about it, but." He let out a long sigh before continuing, glancing to his brother beside him. "I suppose it will help to get it off my chest."

"I arrived in London and saw smoke coming from the power station. I drove through the gate, killing a Cyclops that I can only assume was corrupted by our friend way downstairs. There was a literal army there that had invaded my home. No one was around but the two people who raised me nearly from birth. Rachael was a daughter of Aphrodite and Terry was a son of Hermes.

"Later on, after everything was over I discovered that they had actually gotten married, and my last look of them was them both hugging each other and dying right in front of me. I watched the two people that were a mother and father to me, die right in front of me. And there was nothing I could do about it." He breathed, clearing his throat from the bubble forming.

"They had sacrificed themselves to save the camp, but it wasn't enough." Everyone watched, bated breath as they saw the stoic son of Poseidon wipe away a tear that was forming in his eye, watching as he swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. He watched as others in the crowd around him, wipe their eyes, their tears glinting in the firelight.

It didn't help the matter for him one bit.

"The army of Laestrygonians formed behind me, some of the corrupted cyclopes too. They stood grinning, blood-smeared faces. And I snapped. I slaughtered the entire army in what felt like seconds. Dust, metal and blood from myself scattered everywhere. Nothing escaped my rage." He stared into the flames before him, watching the imagery dance in the fire.

"Once it was all over, I burnt the campers shrouds that were present in the Camp. It didn't feel like a lot, but I had no choice. There was nothing left of anyone but bones scattered around. The only two that I'd managed to get to in time were Terry and Rachael. I burnt them with their shrouds, side by side, watching as they left for the Underworld.

"Their weapons were all that was left of their legacy as no one really knew of that Camp, probably never will again. I honour them by using their weapons, Terry's short sword that turns into a spear." He explained, shifting his left ring to the weapon. "And the weapon I never thought I'd see a daughter of Aphrodite use. A twin bladed war axe." He smiled, his bottom lip wobbling as he looked down at the shimmering weapons, glinting in the firelight.

"And to properly keep them with me at all times." He took a laboured breath, clearing his throat, blinking the tears away. "This shield which was the first and last gift I'd ever received from them when they were alive."

The shield glinted in the firelight, the Dove, Cadeseus and Trident glowing a faint blue Aura. "Then I came back here wallowing in grief. That was when I was asked by Thalia for help." His voice wobbled, quickly nodding towards his brother. He was no longer able to keep the tears at bay as he rushed from the Amphitheatre, a sob ripping its way from his chest. He found himself stood outside his Cabin, violent sobs ripping through him as he collapsed on his porch. He felt arms envelop him, surprised to see and hear Annabeth beside him, crying into his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Annabeth wondered, a stream running down her face. He cleared his throat as he nodded, noticing a grey streak in her hair, something he hadn't noticed before. He sniffed as he looked up to the stary night sky above, noticing a new constellation above, The fallen Lieutenant forever immortalised above.

"I just don't know what to do without them. They were everything to me, and I feel like I took them for granted." He cried, shaking his head.

"I felt the same way when I ran away from home, found a new family in Thalia and Luke, then losing it in an instant." She began. He felt a pang in his heart for another reason, hearing her name. "It doesn't overly compare, but when you come from a family that didn't really want you, your father asking Athena to raise their daughter herself. It stings a lot. Thalia and Luke were the closet thing to family I'd felt in a while growing up before I met Chiron and Camp. And I'll be honest with you, Arc. It doesn't get easier. All you can do is move on with life and know you'll see them again one day." She breathed, looking out to the cabins in front of her.

"I know." He sniffed, rubbing his face. "I don't think I'll ever get over them anyway." He sighed, looking to the dirt path below his feet. "Have you thought about seeing your dad again?" He wondered, trying to find something to take his mind off of the topic. He watched as she pulled her Camp chord out from below her shirt, toying with the ring around it.

"I have. Seeing him fight for me while we were away made me realise he does care. I'm hoping to see him after Camp concludes." She smiled, looking over to him.

"He fought to save you?" He wondered, staring to her in shock. She hummed, nodding her head, her blonde messy princess curls bouncing around her.

"Yep. He came flying in, in his Sopwith Camel." She laughed, drying her eyes. "I was amazed to see him in action, distracting everyone for our escape. That was when I realised he did care, and that I wanted to try to be a proper family together, again." She smiled, looking over to him. They both stopped briefly, watching as Percy and Nico walked past them, ignoring them as they made their way deeper into the Camp.

"Well, I don't mind driving you back to San Fran tomorrow if you want. I'm not overly sure what I'm doing now. I probably should see Sally for the first time, but I don't think my heart could take it, let alone hers." He sighed, looking to her.

"That would be a big help." She smiled gratefully, before continuing with the latter. "Just don't leave meeting Sally too late, if you're worried about how it will go, don't. Sally is the nicest person you will ever meet." She smiled, the two looking up to Grover standing beside them, leaning against the railing. "I mean, she took the news of Ty-" She cut off mid-sentence, watching as Percy ran headlong towards the trio. They both stood in alarm, watching as Percy stopped before them.

"Nico didn't take the news so well, he ran away. Help me look!" Percy exclaimed. Their eyes widened as their conversation came to an end, each of them running in different directions to cover more ground. They searched for nearly an hour until they gathered in the woods, stood on Zeus' Fist.

"Nico is a son of Hades," Percy stated, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present, an eerie glow coming from the cold night's moonlight. "You can't tell anyone if word gets out, then boy we are screwed with the Titan war."

"Agreed." They all said at once, glancing around the forest. They walked back into camp, each looking around wearily in case of spotting something at the sudden news of Nico's Identity.

"So what did Aphrodite want?" Annabeth questioned after a while, the mood-lifting slightly as the night wound down to a close.

"It was an odd conversation, I can tell you that." He sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He felt drained, sapped of energy as he realised he hadn't slept in over four days. "I'll tell you tomorrow, Perce I can drop you off at your place tomorrow if you want, I'm taking Annabeth to San Fran tomorrow anyway." He yawned.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Percy said distractedly, looking around him. "Night." He mumbled. The two stood watching, as he closed the door to his Cabin tentatively as he sighed, looking to Annabeth.

"Night, Annabeth. Thank you for our little chat, I feel a little better." He smiled kindly. She hugged him once more, surprising him, as she looked up to him.

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow." She smiled. He watched as she made her way to her Cabin, her facade wearing off as her tiredness and weariness took over once more.

He woke up to the sound of water running, remembering that there was a fountain placed in the room. It probably wasn't the best thing to have in your bedroom, if you need the toilet badly. He looked to his brother after his quick shower, rolling his eyes.

"Percy get up you lazy sack of-"

"I'm up, I'm up." He grumbled. "Watch your language." He smirked, voice heavy with sleep. He watched as Percy yawned, making his way to the bathroom to get ready. He began packing up the things he had, packing his brothers things along with it in a separate bag. He threw the keyring to the floor, watching as it shimmered to his Mitsubishi, throwing in their bags in the back. He stopped and stood when he closed the boot, noticing the missing livery. In its place was an electric blue, the wheels black and red brake callipers. He stared in confusion, coming out of his daze as Percy stepped out, looking fresh-faced and well-rested.

They wandered over to the Dining Hall, meeting Annabeth and Grover on the way. He threw her bags in the back beside Percy's, locking the car with the FOB as they continued walking. They sat at their tables, picking at their food as he watched his brother, frowning in concern. Percy stared distractedly towards the floor, a closed fissure in the marble floor Nico opened last night.

Once he'd finished eating, the Camp gathered, the ceremony of the end of Camp beginning. He stared down in shock at the bead, running his fingers over the small ball in his hand. He took his necklace off, stringing the bead through it as it stopped beside the rings. He ran his finger over the ring as he looked up, watching as everyone said goodbye to Annabeth and Percy.

He was surprised once more to see Campers wish him the best, a friendship forming between him and the Son of Hephaestus, Beckendorf. He waved to the Camp, watching as they waved back, as they stepped over to his Car. They all continued to wave as they drove out from the Camp, passing Thalia's tree as he drove up and around the Strawberry fields.

On the Journey, they sat in silence, too tired to make conversation, mainly because the two were asleep leaving him with his thoughts. What did Aphrodite mean? He just couldn't put his finger on it. He glanced around at the early traffic, slowly building up heading into the City. Within the next hour, they finally managed to get to Percy's apartment.

"Hey Arc, don't suppose you want to come in and see mum do you?" He looked torn at his brother. He stood beside him as he helped pull his bags from the boot, glancing to Annabeth as she climbed into the front seat.

"I don't think I'm ready for that if I'm honest, and I don't think she will be either. Not right now, but I will see her next time, I swear on the River Styx. Just don't tell her of me, I'll explain it to her." He smiled to his brother, nodding in understanding.

"No worries Arc, I'll see you soon." He smiled at him. "See you soon, Wise Girl." Percy grinned.

"Bye Seaweed Brain." She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Let's get you home Annabeth." He muttered to the blonde. He drove off, driving up a parking garage and Mist Travelling a lot closer towards San Francisco.

"Arc. What did Aphrodite want?" She wondered as he drove down the road leading to the Golden Gate Bridge. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Annabeth, shaking his head.

"I honestly don't know. All she told me was her interactions with Artemis and how she would help me in the long run. A favour for a favour."

"For you and Thalia?" She wondered, looking baffled. "I didn't realise there was-" She cut off, her eyes widening as she shook her head. "Wow." He laughed, glancing to her.

"Neither did I until yesterday. But the way she explained everything, it just confused me." He sighed. They continued driving in silence for a couple of minutes before a thought came to him. "Annabeth, Aphrodite also mentioned Percy and that quest."

She looked to him, confused before she nodded.

"Yeah, he said some stuff about the Quest while we were waiting for you to get us yesterday." She explained, looking to him curiously.

"Did he tell you about this quest properly?" He wondered, checking his mirrors as he changed lanes. She again looked quizzical to him, shaking her head in slight confusion.

"Well yeah, he told camp last night." Still, with the blank expression, he continued.

"I was there for the meeting Annabeth. Percy wasn't meant to be on that quest. At first, it was going to be three Hunters two campers. Bianca, Zoë, Phoebe, Grover and I. I had to reject it due to the predicament happening at my camp." He gripped the gear stick tightly in his hand, remembering the day. "And then Grover suggested Thalia go. She accepted and Percy was so content on going because he felt like he needed to save you for getting you into that mess. The idiot snuck out the next morning on blackjack using your cap." He shook his head grinning as he saw her hand drift to her pocket where her Yankees cap was.

"Dionysus caught him and was about to bring him back when someone told him otherwise. That person was Aphrodite."

Her eyes widened, "But why?"

He continued with what he was saying, "I'm not overly sure, but I have my theories. I feel like the thing she told me, she didn't want me to share." He explained as he pulled down a little road leading towards some houses. "When he was accepted into the quest, and they ended up in Hephaestus's Junk Yard. Again the love goddess came to him, just to tell him to not to take anything. I think she was there for another reason. And I think you know that reason." He stated cryptically, stopping at a junction.

"Annabeth he couldn't have cared less about saving Artemis, yes it was a priority but he mainly wanted to save you." He let that comment sink in as he pulled the handbrake up, parking in the drive to the Chase Residents, grabbing something from underneath his chair.

He stepped out of the car, Annabeth in tow as he pulled her stuff out of the boot, waving at her father Dr Chase as he greeted them outside his house, surprised to see them this early. He hugged his daughter and gave him a second glance a look of shock passing over him.

"Oh, I thought you were Percy." Fredrick looked at him in surprise. He smiled, a chuckle escaping.

"Yeah, I suspect that now we know each other we'll probably hear that a lot. I'm his twin, long lost. Finally got to meet him a few days ago." He grinned to a shocked Dr Chase's face.

"But, that would make you the same age as Annabeth and Percy, how... How can you drive?" He wondered, a baffled look across his face. He tapped the side of his nose, raising his fingers to his lips.

"The Mist, don't tell anyone. I've been doing this for years, I'm a safe driver." He assured him, smiling all the same. Dr Chase nodded in understanding, looking down to his daughter, a smile on his face. She stood beside her father, looking at her friend in shock, a small grin growing on her lips.

"I've never really thought about it. You really do look like Percy. I'm so sorry." She grinned, a laugh escaping his mouth. He looked down to what he held in his hands, pulling a pen from his inside jacket pocket.

"Dr Chase, I'm not taking no for an answer." He began, scribbling on the pad in his hand. "Here." He said, tearing the paper free and handing it over to him.

" I heard Percy totalled your VW, buy yourself something better. These are from my winnings a long time ago that got cashed when I turned sixteen." He explained, finger quoting sixteen.

"I can't accept this." He tried, holding out the paper towards him. He shook his head, a laugh escaping as he stepped backwards slightly.

"Honestly it's fine, keep it, I don't really need money for much." He smiled nodding his head towards his car. They both stood stunned as the car shimmered to a Ferrari then back again.

Annabeth hugged him goodbye sad to see her new friend go, "Will I see you next summer?" He sighed, scratching his neck looking out at the beautiful view her father had.

"Maybe. We'll have to wait and see." he smiled at her, waving when he was back in the car, putting the car in reverse and taking off the handbrake. He watched them in his rearview mirror, still stood watching him leave, watching him disappear in the Mist.

**I hope you enjoyed this story, I will be uploading the second Tale on Saturday as I am away from Thursday and Friday, at a concert, Follow favourite and review and I'll see you in the next one! **


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